Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado says the fight isn’t over : NPR

María Corina Machado leads the political opposition in Venezuela, and for months, she has done so while in hiding.

Her country has been in a sort of limbo since national elections in July. The result is disputed: The opposition says its candidate, Edmundo González, won by a landslide and it can provide proof, but President Nicolás Maduro has ignored that. Maduro has claimed victory without sharing evidence and cracked down on anyone who disputes it.

Maduro’s government issued an arrest warrant for González, whom the U.S. and other countries recognize as the winner, accusing him of sabotaging the election and conspiring against the government. González fled into exile in Spain. Maduro’s government also threatened Machado, but she says she is determined to stay in Venezuela.

“I can’t complain because I have many of my colleagues that are right now in prison or under asylum or had to leave their country,” Machado said of her current isolation.

For months, Machado has organized protests, reached out to international allies, and conducted media interviews while in hiding, hoping to keep the momentum alive. All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly spoke with Machado about her decision to stay in the country and what comes next.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado and opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González join hands during a protest against the result of the presidential election on July 30 in Caracas.

Alfredo Lasry R/Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Alfredo Lasry R/Getty Images

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Interview highlights

Mary Louise Kelly: You’re speaking to us from hiding. Why stay in Venezuela under these conditions?

María Corina Machado: Because I trust the Venezuelan people, and I have no doubt that the result of our fight will be the liberation of Venezuela. Maduro is totally isolated, weaker than ever. And our people want and need to know that I’m here with them.

Kelly: Your colleague in the opposition, Edmundo González, has left for Spain because there is a warrant for his arrest. If you were outside Venezuela, you could speak freely. You could sit down with me in person. Would your voice not be louder?

Machado: I don’t think so. I think at this point Edmundo is doing a great job. He is the president-elect, and he’s doing a good job of engaging directly with the international sector. I believe Venezuelans need to know that I’m here with them and that we will move ahead in the democratic transition to Venezuela. This has no way back.

Kelly: Let me turn you to a development this month: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred to your opposition leader, Edmundo González, as Venezuela’s president-elect. It’s the first time he has done that. Do those words make any difference?

Machado: Oh, yes, they do. Certainly, I think they send a very strong message to the rest of the world and to the regime as well. Maduro tells those that will support him that the world will turn the page with Venezuela and that he will be able to stay by violence. And this sends a message that this is not going to happen.

Kelly: When you talk about President Nicolás Maduro being in decline, I understand that your movement has produced voting tallies to prove that he lost the election, and yet, you’re in hiding. He’s still in power. He’s figured out how to get oil around sanctions. Is he in decline? Is he actually in a weaker position?

Machado: I have no doubt. I believe that every day that goes by, Maduro loses supporters in Venezuela and internationally. Maduro has been accused and denounced of committing crimes against humanity by the fact-finding mission of the United Nations. And every day that goes by, I believe the pressure from abroad and within [grows].

Protesters demonstrate on July 29 in Caracas, Venezuela, against the official election results declaring President Nicolás Maduro won reelection.

Cristian Hernandez/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Cristian Hernandez/AP

Kelly: I’m remembering the last time [President-elect] Donald Trump was in the White House. His administration put pressure on Venezuela. He used economic sanctions to do that. Those sanctions wreaked such havoc on your country’s economy that millions of Venezuelans migrated out. What are you hoping for this time from a second Trump administration?

Machado: Well, the fact is that the destruction of our economy happened even before the sanctions were put in place. People leave the country, and we have a growing migration not because of the economic situation; believe me, it’s because of the lack of a future. And everybody here knows that that future is directly linked to democracy and regime change. So, if we want to stop migration, if we want to stop those flows from reaching the United States, we have to go to the cause of the problem. And the cause of the problem right now is Maduro and his brutal regime.

Kelly: Let’s look ahead to January and to presidential politics here in the U.S. President Trump will return to office. I gather you know his pick for Secretary of State, Sen. Marco Rubio. Have you talked to him since the U.S. elections?

Machado: No, no. I spoke with him before and with his staff. He’s a good friend of Latin America, and I think he’s a freedom-loving person [who] stands beside the Venezuelan people.

Kelly: What’s next for you?

Machado: I’ll keep doing what I’m doing right now–reaching out to every single person around the world, letting them know how we’re moving ahead to give hope, and also working and preparing for a peaceful transition.

Kelly: And you’re prepared to fight this fight as long as it takes? Even from hiding?

Machado: Until the end. And we will win. We will prevail. I have no doubt.