Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado Credits Trump Administration for 'Floodgate to Freedom,' Calls for 2027 Elections

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has expressed gratitude to the administration of US President Donald Trump, stating that it opened the "floodgate to freedom" by abducting President Nicolas Maduro in January. Speaking in Caracas, her first public remarks since returning from over 10 months of exile, Machado also urged for elections to be held in Venezuela next year. "Thanks to their vision, their courage, and their action on January 3, the floodgate to freedom has been opened," Machado declared at a news conference, specifically naming Trump, his administration, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. She noted that Rubio "has set out a sequence of events aimed at moving toward a democratic transition that makes clear the holding of presidential elections in 2027". Machado has previously lauded Trump, even presenting him with her Nobel medal. A long-time activist, Machado had relocated to Oslo in December to accept the Nobel Peace Prize and stated her return to Venezuela was to "mobilise society". US special forces veterans from an organization named Grey Bull Rescue reportedly assisted Machado in her departure by boat after she had spent a year in hiding from Maduro's regime. Since Maduro's abduction in January, the country has been under the rule of former Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. Machado was welcomed by enthusiastic supporters upon her return to Venezuela on Sunday, as she traveled in a motorcade. Rodriguez, however, expressed disapproval of the public display, commenting on state television that "The show could have been avoided – the airports are right here." When questioned about a potential meeting with Rodriguez, Machado indicated she had not received any communication from her or from Washington. Shortly before Machado's statements, Rodriguez had assured the nation that elections would proceed in Venezuela "with the world as witness," though a specific date was not provided. Her return occurs weeks after a contentious US oil deal that involves Venezuela ceding 20 percent of its substantial oil reserves. Machado criticized this agreement, stating, "This agreement does not reflect the levels of transparency that Venezuelan society wants."