After meeting with President Donald Trump, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Friday that Venezuela will hold "free and fair" elections "eventually" as Nicolás Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, continues to rule the country after his capture.
Machado did not offer a timeline for how long the current interim government would be allowed to rule, only that elections would happen "as soon as possible."
"I am profoundly, profoundly confident that we will have an orderly transition."
Speaking at a news conference hosted by the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington, Machado said Venezuela is taking "the first steps of a true transition to democracy," but stressed that dismantling the country's repression apparatus must come before any credible election can be held.
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"We are facing a very complex and delicate process," Machado said. "Eventually we will have free and fair elections," she added, while emphasizing that security, rule of law and the release of political prisoners must come first.
Machado rejected the idea that Venezuela's constitutional election timelines could be applied immediately, arguing that years of repression have hollowed out democratic institutions. She said hundreds of political prisoners remain unaccounted for and warned that fear and coercion are still widespread inside the country.
"The fact that you are not in a prison doesn't mean that you are free," she said, citing restrictions on speech, movement and political organizing.
Her comments come after the Trump administration faces growing scrutiny from critics over the lack of a clear electoral roadmap following the Jan. 3 operation that led to the removal of longtime strongman Maduro. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described a three-phase U.S. plan - stabilization, recovery and transition - but acknowledged that the final phase remains undefined.
During her Washington visit, Machado met privately with Trump and praised his role in pressuring Maduro's government. She said the president told her he cares deeply about the Venezuelan people and their future.
Machado also presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal, a symbolic gesture toward a president who has long coveted the award. She described Trump's actions on Venezuela as courageous and said U.S. support has given Venezuelans renewed hope after years of repression and economic collapse. The Nobel Committee said in a statement that a "laureate cannot share the prize with others, nor transfer it once it has been announced."
"The decision is final and applies for all time."
Despite her praise for Trump, questions remain over Washington's posture toward Venezuela's interim leadership. Trump has publicly spoken positively about Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's former vice president who is now playing a central role in the transitional government - a stance that has unsettled some opposition supporters.
Machado sought to downplay the appearance of competition between herself and Rodriguez for the U.S. president's support.
"This has nothing to do with a tension or decision between Delcy Rodriguez and myself," Machado said when asked about Trump's openness to working with the interim government. "This is about a criminal structure that is a regime and the mandate of the Venezuelan people."
Trump has spoken positively about Rodriguez's role in the transition and suggested he'd be open to meeting with her. On Thursday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Venezuela meeting with Rodriguez.
Trump recently called Machado a "very fine woman" with whom he has "mutual respect," after saying Jan. 3 that Machado "doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country" to rule.
Machado called Rodriguez "a communist" and "the main ally and representation of the Russian regime, the Chinese and the Iranians," while arguing that Rodriguez "does not represent the Venezuelan people" or the armed forces.
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Machado said the current phase of the transition remains unstable, with elements of the former regime still being forced to dismantle systems of repression, including intelligence units and detention centers. Only after those structures are neutralized, she said, can Venezuela begin rebuilding democratic institutions and organizing legitimate elections.
She also stressed that future elections must include Venezuelans living abroad, noting that millions were barred from voting in past contests.
"Every single Venezuelan, living in Venezuela or abroad, should have the right to vote," Machado said.
Trump has previously questioned whether Machado has sufficient support inside Venezuela to govern, backed by a U.S. CIA report on the matter, a remark she did not directly address during her public remarks. Instead, she framed the transition as a collective effort driven by popular will rather than individual leadership.
"This is not about me," Machado said. "It is about the will of the Venezuelan people."
For now, she said, the priority remains security.
"We understand the urgency," Machado said. "But without dismantling terror, there can be no real democracy."
The White House has said the United States intends to play a hands-on role during Venezuela's transition, arguing it has significant leverage over interim authorities in Caracas. Venezuela. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said recently the administration believes it has "maximum leverage" over Venezuela's interim leadership, including influence over economic and security decisions as the transition unfolds.
After Maduro's capture, Trump said the U.S. would essentially run Venezuela.
"We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," he said.
On Machado, Trump initially expressed skepticism. "I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country."
A source told Fox News Digital there was concern among senior officials even prior to the Venezuela operation that Machado "lacked the necessary support in Venezuela if Maduro was to be removed."
Rubio has said the administration envisions a phased approach to Venezuela's transition - beginning with stabilization, followed by recovery and then a political transition. Rubio acknowledged that while elections are the end goal, they must come after security conditions improve and democratic institutions are rebuilt.
Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
