Machado hopes election likely to be held in Venezuela in less than one year

CARACAS, Venezuela (MNTV) — Nobel laureate Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said new democratic elections in the country could be organized in less than a year if preparations begin promptly, outlining a proposed timeline while signaling that key details have not yet been discussed with the president.

“We believe that a real transferring process with manual voting throughout the process could be done in nine to 10 months. But, well, that depends when you start,” Machado said Tuesday in an interview with Politico.

Machado told the news outlet she has not yet spoken with President Trump about that election timetable, even after meeting at the White House following Nicolás Maduro’s capture in January. As Politico points out, Trump has suggested the U.S. could continue to oversee Venezuela for years, controlling the development of infrastructure to extract oil from the country’s reservoirs.

Her proposed timeline contrasts with comments attributed to Energy Secretary Chris Wright last week, who, according to the Wall Street Journal, told executives that Venezuela would hold elections in roughly 18 to 24 months. That longer horizon reflects a more gradual transition scenario under continued U.S. oversight.

Machado argued Venezuela differs from other recent U.S.-backed nation-building efforts.

“In our case, look, we have a democratic culture, a strong democratic culture. We have an organized society. We have a legitimate leadership with huge popular support and our armed forces are also supportive of a transition to democracy,” she said.