Venezuela: Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says US backs 2027 election

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Thursday that the country was moving towards a US-prescribed presidential election in 2027, in her first public remarks since returning from 10 months in exile.

Calling the transition to democracy "irreversible," Machado said, "US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has laid out a sequence of steps for moving toward a democratic transition that includes presidential elections in 2027."

"The date of the election is the date of liberation," Machado said in Caracas after returning home following 10 months in exile.

Machado also reiterated that her priorities included dismantling the country's repressive system and securing the release of the thousands of political prisoners. She denied having had any contact with interim President Delcy Rodriguez.

Shortly before Machado's public statements, Rodriguez announced that there "will be elections" in Venezuela, without specifying a date.

Machado says Trump helped open 'floodgate to freedom'

Machado, who famously "presented" US President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize, thanked Trump for his actions on January 3, leading to "the floodgate to freedom" being opened in Venezuela.

The opposition leader was referring to the US capture of former President Nicolas Maduro, currently facing US drug trafficking and torture charges, which he denies.

Machado, however, criticized a major oil deal Washington and Caracas agreed to earlier this year, under which Venezuela is expected to supply 20% of its oil reserves to the United States.

"This agreement does not reflect the levels of transparency that Venezuelan society wants," she said.

At the same time, she skirted questions that highlighted Trump's comments in January that she did not have sufficient support to immediately lead Venezuela, as well as his suggestion this week that the country could become the 51st US state.

US caught in a bind

Machado, who was barred from contesting the 2024 presidential election, backed opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. His supporters said he had won by a wide margin, even though electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner.

Machado's recent return after nearly a year in exile complicates things for Washington which has said Machado has every right to be in Venezuela, but also praised acting President Rodriguez.