Opposition leader María Corina Machado said she was ready to assume leadership of Venezuela after the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro by United States forces. In an interview with the American broadcaster CBS This Tuesday (6), Machado said that his movement has the “popular mandate” to lead the country into a “new political cycle”.
“The people of Venezuela have already chosen,” Machado told the journalist from CBS Tony Dokoupil, when asked if she should be the country’s next leader. “We are ready and willing to serve our people, as we were elected,” he added.
In the interview, the opposition leader also expressed gratitude to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, for the operation that led to Maduro’s arrest on Saturday (3). According to her, the action represented “a huge step” towards “restoring prosperity, the rule of law and democracy in Venezuela”.
Machado avoided confrontation by commenting on Trump’s previous statements that cast doubt on his ability to lead the country. She stated that her “priority is to recognize the impact of Maduro’s removal and advance the political transition process.”
In the interview, María Corina made scathing criticisms of the interim dictator Delcy Rodríguez, who took over the Venezuelan Executive after Maduro’s capture. Machado classified Rodríguez as one of the “main architects” of the Chavista regime, accusing her of involvement in corruption, repression and torture centers, as well as links with Russia and Iran.
According to the opposition leader, Rodríguez cannot be considered a moderate figure.
“Nobody trusts her. Nobody”, he declared, questioning the legitimacy of a possible conduct of the transition process under his command.
