Rio de Janeiro, Feb 1, (dpa/GNA) – Venezuelan opposition leader MarĂa Corina Machado, said on Sunday that the US intervention in Venezuela has set in motion an “unstoppable” political transition.
In an interview with CBS News, Machado said the transitional government in Caracas under acting President Delcy RodrĂguez is “starting to realize that things have changed for good.”
Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for her work in the Venezuelan opposition, attributed the recent changes under RodrĂguez solely to pressure from the United States.
“If that pressure were taken away, she would turn around and go back to where her loyalty is,” Machado said.
Since the US military operation on January 3 to oust authoritarian president Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela has released hundreds of political prisoners under pressure from Washington.
On Friday, the government announced a comprehensive amnesty for political prisoners from 1999 to the present day.
Many of those released so far were detained during protests against Maduro’s re-election in 2024, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud.
The Venezuelan parliament also recently approved a reform of the oil industry, that is intended to enable additional foreign investment in the energy sector.
RodrĂguez was appointed acting president after Maduro’s capture. She is considered one of the most loyal figures in the deposed authoritarian leader’s inner circle, and is the central contact person for the US administration, including in negotiations over the management of the South American country’s extensive oil reserves.
GNA