The United States had been urging Venezuela‘s transitional government for weeks to allow opposition leader María Corina Machado to return to the country safely and without incident, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today. Speaking to reporters, Rubio clarified that the only time he had personally discouraged her from returning was immediately after the earthquake. He explained that Washington was aware of Machado’s desire to go back to Venezuela and had communicated with the transitional authorities, requesting that her return be unimpeded. According to Rubio, the authorities responded that she would be permitted to land at the airport should she choose to do so, and the American side relayed this information to her team.
Read also: María Corina Machado: “I am here. With you” — Her return to Venezuela despite US objections
Thousands of supporters line the road to Caracas
Machado was greeted on Sunday by thousands of supporters who had gathered along a nearly 400-kilometer route. Her journey began in Barquisimeto, in western Venezuela, and concluded in Caracas, where she arrived during the night. Details of her trip from exile in Panama back to the country have not yet been made public. According to opposition-aligned media outlets, Machado traveled through neighboring Colombia. Transitional president Delcy Rodríguez criticized her return today, calling it an unnecessary spectacle.
Electoral system overhaul takes center stage
Meanwhile, Rubio argued that Venezuela’s electoral infrastructure has been designed to enable fraud and must be replaced swiftly in order for credible elections to take place. The top US diplomat spoke to reporters by phone the day after Machado’s return. This marks her first return to Venezuela since the US apprehended then-president Nicolás Maduro in January and transferred him to New York to stand trial.
Expectations for a new supreme court and electoral council
Washington believes that the ongoing talks between the transitional government in Caracas and opposition figures should lead to the formation of a new supreme court by the end of the year and a new electoral council shortly thereafter. This assessment was expressed earlier today by a senior State Department official. “I think we are making real progress on this matter,” said Rubio, who has served as President Donald Trump’s envoy on Venezuela. “But if anyone tries to derail this process, they are doing great harm to Venezuela.”
