Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado Endorses U.S. Blueprint for Presidential Election

• Machado recently returned from exile
• Delcy Rodriguez has been interim leader under US oversight

Updated 43 sec ago

CARACAS — Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado endorsed a U.S. proposal to declare the presidency vacant and organize elections for next year, during a statement delivered at the Ibero‑American Summit in Madrid.

After a year in exile, Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, made a dramatic return to Venezuela late last month, following the U.S. seizure of President Nicolás Maduro’s authority.

Since then, Maduro’s former vice‑president, Delcy Rodríguez, has acted as interim leader under close U.S. supervision.

Growing calls for democratic elections in the South American nation have found support from Machado, who advocates for a clear path to restore constitutional order.

In her Madrid address, Machado backed a U.S. State Department plan to renew Venezuela’s highest court before the end of 2026 and to establish a new National Electoral Council immediately thereafter.

Under the blueprint, Rodríguez would be required to declare the presidency vacant and call a general election within six months of that declaration.

“Given the prolonged de‑facto situation our country is experiencing, we endorse this plan as a reasonable means to move toward the full restoration of constitutional order in Venezuela,” Machado said.

Rodríguez has repeatedly affirmed that elections will be held, though she has not provided a specific date.

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