WASHINGTON/CARACAS (dpa-AFX) – Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado believes a political transition in Venezuela away from the remaining power structures of deposed President Nicolás Maduro is inevitable. “In the end, they will understand, perhaps very soon, that it is in their own interest to accept that this transition is unstoppable,” Machado said in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Machado noted that recent changes under Executive President Delcy Rodríguez were due to external pressure. “Everything Delcy Rodríguez is doing now is because she is following instructions she receives from the United States.” If that pressure were removed, “she would immediately turn around and go back to where her loyalty lies,” Machado said.
Amnesty and oil reform under new government
The Venezuelan government recently announced a comprehensive amnesty for political prisoners. Since the US military operation on January 3rd to capture the authoritarian ruler Maduro, Caracas has already released hundreds of political prisoners under pressure from Washington. Many of them were arrested during protests against Maduro’s re-election in 2024, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud.
In addition, the Venezuelan parliament recently approved a reform of the oil industry that is intended to enable additional foreign investment in the energy sector.
Rodríguez came to the head of state as a former vice president after Maduro’s arrest on suspected drug charges. She is considered one of the most loyal figures in Maduro’s power circle and is the US’s central contact within the Venezuelan leadership – particularly in negotiations over the management of the South American country’s extensive oil reserves./ppz/DP/he
