The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, reacted this Monday to the return of opposition leader María Corina Machado, labeling it a "show" in statements broadcast by the state-owned Venezuelan Television (VTV) and reported by journalist Orlando Avendaño in a video posted on X.
Rodríguez avoided commenting on the route Machado used to enter Venezuela and downplayed the issue: "Look, it's irrelevant," he said, noting that there are "transitory structures" at the airports available for those who take advantage of the amnesty law.
Far from acknowledging the political weight of the return, the acting president insisted that politics cannot be treated as a spectacle: "I truly believe that politics must end as a show because politics is something very serious," she stated, adding that "the show could have been avoided" because "the airports are there."
Rodríguez also demanded that Machado exhibit a contrite attitude for having sought international sanctions and supported the external intervention that led to Nicolás Maduro's capture: "I hope there is repentance, remorse, rectification, and that he can contribute something to the country," he declared.
The acting president also denied that there is repression in the country: "There is no political persecution in Venezuela. This is the new Venezuela that I aspire to, and this is the new Venezuela I am working for," she stated, in a message that contrasts with the years of arbitrary detentions, political disqualifications, and forced exile that have defined chavismo.
Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday after nearly ten months away from the country, as part of an international diplomatic operation that faced no opposition from the White House. Her first public appearance was at the Santa Rosa church in Barquisimeto, Lara state, from where she traveled approximately 400 kilometers to Caracas, being welcomed by thousands of supporters with flags, phone lights, and chants of "Freedom!".
The return came after at least seven failed attempts, including the so-called "Operation Ithaca" in September, when the Chavista regime denied her entry on three consecutive occasions in less than 24 hours.
Alongside Machado's return, Rodríguez defended the dialogue process that is progressing between the interim government and the National Assembly elected in 2015, represented by Dinorah Figuera. He described these conversations as "something very serious" that requires "a lot of experience, away from novice spaces," and emphasized that the process seeks political reforms, justice reforms, and the recovery of Venezuelan assets abroad.
Machado does not formally participate in that negotiation table, although her party, Vente Venezuela, confirmed this Monday that the opposition leader is willing to meet with Rodríguez. "She has expressed her willingness to sit down not only with Delcy but with whoever needs to be met with in front of the country with total clarity, with an agenda so that those things can happen," declared the spokesperson Claudia Macero on Unión Radio.
As of the closure of this note, no formal meeting had been scheduled between the two nor had a bilateral agenda been agreed upon.
Related videos:
Filed under: