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Venezuela: Machado Promises Swift Return - 'Ready for Elections'

Published January 6, 2026, 17:09
Venezuela: Machado Promises Swift Return - 'Ready for Elections'

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has pledged to return to her country soon, expressing her confidence that her movement is ready to win free elections. She also reiterated her praise for Donald Trump's efforts to overthrow Nicolas Maduro. However, Trump's stance is causing disappointment within the opposition, as he appears to prefer cooperation with interim President Delcy Rodriguez and other officials of the Maduro government. This has heightened uncertainty in Venezuela. Machado claims to have won the 2024 elections despite allegations of fraud and estimates that she would garner over 90% of the vote in free and fair elections. Nevertheless, Trump has stressed the need to address Venezuela's problems before holding elections, without directly expressing support for Machado. Machado strongly criticized Rodriguez, describing her as a key factor in corruption and linked to countries such as Russia, China and Iran, while assuring that she will personally present the Nobel Prize to Trump, recognizing the US military operation as a step towards democracy.