Venezuela opposition leader Machado calls for elections on return

Key facts

• Opposition leader María Corina Machado calls for elections in Venezuela.
• Machado stated the country's move toward democracy is "irreversible."
• Machado thanked the Trump administration for capturing former President Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is calling for elections to be held next year, stating that the country's move toward democracy is "irreversible." Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, made these remarks during a news conference in Caracas on Wednesday. She also thanked the Trump administration for its role in capturing former President Nicolás Maduro. Meanwhile, Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, indicated that elections would occur and that her government should oversee the transition, though she did not set a specific date. Machado, who had previously left Venezuela to accept the Nobel Prize, has stated she would run for president again if an election were held.