The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has assured this Saturday that she will be able to return to Venezuela when free elections are called, a scenario that, according to her, is part of the guidelines set in the talks between the United States and the current Venezuelan authorities.
Machado made these statements in Madrid, where she is visiting and where she received the Golden Key of the capital this Friday. The opposition leader told the media that she maintains “permanent communication with the United States”.
Washington and the electoral roadmap
According to his explanation, the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has made it “very clear” that the final phase of the plan promoted by Washington involves a democratic transition with free elections. That horizon is, in Machado's opinion, the framework in which his return to the country would occur.
However, he also demanded greater concreteness on the deadlines and assured that the Venezuelan citizenry “cries out for the definition of an electoral calendar”, in addition to reiterating the demand for the release of all political prisoners.
Criticism of the current power in Caracas
The opposition member maintained that Venezuela is going through a “delicate and complex” stage, marked —as she said— by an internal process of dismantling repressive structures, corruption, and crime within the regime itself.
Machado stated that her return would aim to contribute to putting an end to the "chaos and violence" that, in her opinion, the current government headed by Delcy Rodríguez represents.
No meeting with Sánchez
Machado also referred to the absence of a meeting with the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, who stated this Friday that he had proposed a meeting that ultimately did not take place.
The Venezuelan leader linked her refusal to the progressive summit held in Barcelona, in which several international leaders participate, including some critics of her figure, such as the Colombian president Gustavo Petro. "What has happened in these last hours in the Barcelona meeting demonstrates why said meeting is not convenient," she affirmed.
Madrid as an international platform
Machado's visit to Spain reinforces the opposition leader's external prominence at a key moment for the Venezuelan political future.
While it seeks international backing and pushes for an electoral calendar, Madrid has become these days one of the main stages of its diplomatic offensive.