Reported from the source

Quick summary: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has vowed to lead the country and become its first woman president, stating she will be elected “when the right time comes.” Her comments follow her gifting President Donald Trump a Nobel Peace Prize medal. However, Trump has declined to endorse Machado, citing a lack of domestic support and drawing parallels to the US experience in Iraq. Instead, Trump has engaged with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, who recently met with the CIA director and announced oil industry reforms.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has declared her intention to lead the country, stating, “I believe I will be elected when the right time comes as president of Venezuela, the first woman president.” She conveyed this aspiration to Fox News, emphasizing a mission to transform Venezuela into a “land of grace.” Machado’s remarks came a day after she presented President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal, which she described as an acknowledgment of his dedication to Venezuela’s freedom. This interaction occurred as the US had seized Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on January 3, removing him to New York to face various drugs and weapons charges. Despite Machado’s opposition movement claiming victory in 2024’s contested elections, President Trump has refrained from endorsing her as Venezuela’s new leader, citing insufficient domestic support. He explained his decision by referencing the US experience in Iraq over two decades ago, where the dismantling of security and political structures led to insurgency and the rise of groups like the Islamic State. “If you ever remember a place called Iraq, where everybody was fired… and they ended up being ISIS… I remember that,” Trump stated. Instead, Trump has been engaging with Delcy Rodríguez, who serves as Venezuela’s interim president and was formerly Maduro’s vice-president. Rodríguez held a two-hour meeting with the CIA director on Friday, described by a US official as being “at President Trump’s direction” to foster trust and communication. The discussion included potential economic collaboration and ensuring Venezuela does not become a safe haven for US adversaries. Trump later called Rodríguez a “terrific person” after a phone conversation she deemed “productive and courteous.” Machado, speaking at an event in Washington, expressed confidence in an “orderly transition” for her country, envisioning a “proud Venezuela that will be the best ally the US has ever had in the Americas.” She clarified that the situation was not a personal conflict between herself and Rodríguez, but rather “about a criminal structure – that is the regime – and the Venezuelan people,” identifying herself as “just one member of a movement of millions of Venezuelans.” Meanwhile, in Caracas, interim president Rodríguez delivered her first state of the union address, asserting her readiness to confront the US “diplomatically, through political dialogue.” She also announced reforms to the oil industry to attract more foreign investment, signaling a departure from Maduro’s policies. The day after calling Rodríguez a “terrific person,” Trump referred to Machado as a “wonderful woman who has been through so much,” acknowledging her Nobel Peace Prize medal gift as a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”

Source: www.bbc.com