Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado stated on Wednesday that the country’s democratic forces are ready to participate in a “real transition” of power, but will reject any arrangement that keeps what she described as criminal structures linked to the current authorities in place.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, Machado said the opposition would support a transition process only if it restores democratic institutions and dismantles networks she accused interim authorities led by interim President Delcy Rodríguez of using to retain power, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
“We are willing to facilitate a genuine transition,” Machado said. “But not a Russian-style transition where mafias remain in control. Venezuela does not need stability for criminals — it needs justice, truth and freedom.”
Machado, who last year was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela,” described Rodríguez as a central figure in what she called a system of “narcoterrorism and repression,” accusing her and other senior officials of responsibility for extrajudicial killings, mass political imprisonment and the forced migration of millions of Venezuelans.
She said no one in the democratic opposition trusts Rodríguez, but acknowledged that international efforts are focused on creating incentives that weaken the repressive apparatus.
Her comments came as Venezuela experiences a limited but notable release of political prisoners following U.S.-backed pressure on Caracas after the removal of former president Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
