In an interview with FRANCE 24, Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said that Sunday's referendum in Venezuela over the status of the disputed region of Essequibo was "absolutely not" the success proclaimed by the Maduro regime. According to electoral authorities, 95 percent of voters approved of Venezuela's claim to the large swath of neighbouring Guyana, but turnout was around 50 percent. Asked about the political situation in Venezuela, she said the Maduro regime was "in its weakest position ever" and that she expected to "face Maduro and defeat him" in the 2024 presidential elections.
Machado pointed to the low turnout in the non-binding vote on Essequibo as a "huge defeat" for Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. She added that holding the referendum was wrongheaded, stressing that the best way to win back the disputed region was through the International Court of Justice.
However, she expressed confidence that Caracas would not launch a military operation to retake Essequibo, despite the "desperation" of the Maduro regime.
On October 30, Venezuela's Supreme Court suspended the outcome of the opposition primary vote, which Machado had won by a huge margin.
She that said her victory in that vote opened up a "huge opportunity" to defeat Maduro. While acknowledging that there would be many obstacles to "free and fair elections" in the 2024 presidential elections, she insisted she would "face Maduro and defeat him".
Machado stressed the need for pressure on the Maduro regime, both domestically and internationally, to ensure such an outcome. She argued that the regime has "no resources", which is why it is so eager to negotiate, in particular with the US. "The [Maduro] regime is in its weakest position ever," she declared.
She also denied ever calling for a foreign military intervention against Maduro, claiming she only advocated for a humanitarian intervention.
Despite her criticism of the Maduro regime, Machado said she was ready to sit down with the president and talk to him.
"That would be certainly be useful, even before the elections (...) I am certainly more than willing to do that."
