The opposition leader María Corina Machado, through the human rights branch of her party Vente Venezuela (Vente DDHH), released a statement on Monday outlining the conditions for a real democratic transition in the country, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro and the provisional rise of Delcy Rodríguez as interim president.
In the text dated January 6, 2025, the organization described the ongoing political change process as "inevitable and irreversible," and warned that the only legitimate path to democracy lies in the full restoration of sovereignty to the Venezuelan people and respect for the leadership of Machado and the elected president Edmundo González Urrutia.
“It is time to free the political prisoners, restore the truth, and ensure that justice prevails over impunity,” states the communiqué, which demanded the dismantling of the repressive apparatus and the end of “crimes aimed at maintaining a decaying criminal structure.”
The document—issued amid negotiations between Washington and Delcy Rodríguez to stabilize the country following the U.S. military operation—included a call to close torture centers, compensate victims, and ensure justice for the crimes against humanity committed during more than two decades of Chavismo.
"Freedom is the destiny of the Venezuelan people. What needed to happen is happening. Long live a free Venezuela," concluded the message, which marks a total break from residual chavismo and any attempt at a "negotiated transition."
The statement comes amid tensions within the new political order in Venezuela. According to Politico, the administration of Donald Trump allegedly imposed strict conditions on Delcy Rodríguez to remain in power temporarily, including expelling Cuban and Iranian agents, cutting drug trafficking, and suspending the sale of oil to countries hostile to the U.S.
Machado, for her part, celebrated the beginning of an “inevitable transition” but also warned that “she will not accept an agreement that legitimizes criminals,” as she stated on Sunday at an event in Caracas.
Days earlier, Trump had withdrawn his direct support for Machado, stating that “her role was already fulfilled,” referring to the opposition efforts that preceded Maduro's downfall.
With its statement, Vente Venezuela aims to regain prominence within the institutional reconstruction process and send a clear message to the United States: the transition must be built on justice, not on impunity.
Filed under:
