Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado called for a 2027 presidential election, challenging interim President Delcy Rodriguez and sharpening pressure over the country’s missing vote timetable.
Rodriguez told Venezuelans shortly before Machado’s Thursday news conference that elections would take place “with the world as witness,” but she did not set a date. EconoTimes previously reported on the interim government’s election pledge without a schedule.
Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday after more than 10 months abroad, Al Jazeera reported. In her first public remarks since returning, she said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had outlined steps toward a democratic transition that include a presidential election in 2027.
Machado also credited President Donald Trump, his administration and Rubio for the Jan. 3 operation that led to Maduro’s abduction. She said their actions had opened the “floodgate to freedom.”
The White House says the U.S. has the right to buy 20% of oil from fields operated by North American Blue Energy Partners at production cost. Machado said, “This agreement does not reflect the levels of transparency that Venezuelan society wants.”
