Opposition leader Machado, ignored by Trump: "We must lead Venezuela"

U.S. CBS interview

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said the opposition she leads should run the Venezuelan government.

On the 6th (local time), Machado said in a video interview with U.S. CBS, "The Venezuelan people have already chosen who should lead Venezuela." Machado secretly left Venezuela last December to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. She is reported to be staying abroad.

The remark "have already chosen" is interpreted to mean that Edmundo González, who ran as the opposition candidate in the 2024 presidential election in which election manipulation by the Maduro regime occurred, actually won. Machado won the primary to run against Maduro in the 2024 presidential election but was barred from running by the regime. Former diplomat Edmundo González ran in her place.

The announcement that Maduro had succeeded in winning a third term was widely suspected to have been manipulated, and the international community, including the United States, recognized González as the winner of the presidential election.

When the host asked, "Do you mean you should be Venezuela's next leader?", Machado referred to the opposition's president-elect González and replied, "Of course." She added, "We are ready to serve the people in accordance with the mandate the people have given, and we will gladly do so."

Regarding the U.S. military operation, she described it as "a significant step toward Venezuela's prosperity and the restoration of the rule of law and democracy," and said, "Thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump's leadership and courage, Maduro will face the judgment of justice."

Machado criticized Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who became interim president, saying, "She is not moderate at all, and no one trusts her," and called her "one of the people who led the repression of innocent people."

However, President Trump has excluded Machado and accepted the interim presidency of Rodríguez, saying Machado lacks a popular support base and the capacity to control opponents. Because of this, it is uncertain whether the opposition can lead Venezuela as Machado hopes.

Trump said of Machado, "She is a very nice woman but has not gained support or trust within her country," and "It will be very difficult for her to become a leader."

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that Rodríguez, who served as a minister in Maduro's cabinet and has been subject to U.S. sanctions, has not been charged with any crime in the United States, unlike the Maduro couple.

Jin Young-gi, Hankyung.com reporter young71@hankyung.com