Venezuelan opposition leader María Colina Machado has made her second public appearance after more than a year in hiding, vowing to somehow end President Nicolas Maduro’s tenure.
Speaking to reporters in Oslo, Norway, on Friday, Machado added that he still hopes that the change of leadership in Venezuela will take place peacefully.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“With or without negotiations, Maduro will leave the government,” Machado said in Spanish. “I am focused on an orderly and peaceful transition.”
Her latest statement comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration maintains a military buildup in the Caribbean.
The Trump administration has repeatedly raided suspected drug smuggling vessels in the region, in what experts say amount to extrajudicial killings. The president has also repeatedly threatened in recent days to launch an operation on Venezuelan territory, which he characterizes as an action to stem the flow of illegal drugs from the country.
President Maduro has accused the Trump administration of trying to overthrow his government. Some critics have accused the United States of seeking to open Venezuela’s vast oil reserves to American and Western companies.
Machado remains popular in the Latin American country, but was barred from running in last year’s presidential election and is seen by many as Washington’s front-runner to replace Maduro.
Opposition parties have claimed that Machado’s successor, Edmundo Gonzalez, won a landslide in July polls, and a group of independent election experts later justified the evidence. Maduro continued to claim victory.
On Thursday, Machado escaped a travel ban in her home country and emerged in Oslo, Norway, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Praises President Trump’s pressure
The 58-year-old opposition leader has worked closely with Trump and Venezuelan hardliners within the Republican Party.
She praised several actions taken by the Trump administration to put pressure on Maduro, including the seizure of a U.S.-sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean earlier this week.
Machado said President Trump’s actions were “decisive” in weakening Maduro’s government.
He has been more cautious about possible military action on Venezuelan territory, saying for the first time on Thursday that Venezuela “has already been invaded.”
“We have Russian operatives, we have Iranian operatives, we have terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas that operate freely in accordance with the regime. We also have Colombian guerrillas and drug cartels,” she said.
On Friday, she predicted that Venezuela’s military would follow the transition of power.
“I am confident that the vast majority of the Venezuelan military and police will follow the orders, guidelines and instructions from above that will be appointed by the civil authorities duly elected by the Venezuelan people the moment the transition begins,” she said.
Experts warn that any transition would need to be carefully negotiated with political and military authorities to avoid internal conflict.
Francesca Emanuele, senior policy associate for Latin America at the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), said in a briefing earlier this week that while President Maduro’s Chavismo ideology, named after former leader Hugo Chávez, remains a strong political force in Venezuela, some opposition groups also firmly oppose U.S. military intervention.
Deeply entrenched corruption and patronage systems will also discourage many military personnel from switching allegiance, she explained.
“Without amnesty, without negotiations, the military will not want to leave the Maduro regime. So we could have a very frightening and devastating conflict in Venezuela that could spread to the region,” he said, referring to the possibility of U.S. military intervention.
No signs of easing
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has shown little plan to ease the pressure.
White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that she would not rule out future seizures of sanctioned vessels off the coast of Venezuela.
On Friday, Reuters reported that General Alvin Holsey, who leads the US military in Latin America, will retire early.
Three U.S. officials and two people familiar with the matter told news agencies that Mr. Halsey was forced to step down by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over dissatisfaction with his response to the Pentagon’s increasingly aggressive strategy in the region.
Halsey has not publicly explained the reason for his retirement.
But Republican Rep. Mike Rogers told Politico that the admiral told members of Congress in a private conference that it was unrelated to operations under his command.
