María Corina Machado denies contact with Delcy Rodriguez

A opposition leader Maria Corina Machado today discarded any contacts with Delcy Rodríguez's executive, reaffirming as absolute priority the dismantling of the repressive system and the release of all political prisoners.

During a press conference in Caracas, the opponent defended full transparency in energy agreements, highlighting cooperation and mutual interests with the United States, demanded the immediate update of the electoral register to secure the upcoming presidential elections and reiterated that the top priority remains the guarantee of freedom and justice in the country.

“ Not about a meeting with Mrs. Delcy Rodríguez. I received no message from either the United States or from Mrs Rodríguez”, she said.

Maria Corina Machado spoke to journalists after returning to the country on Sunday, after, in December 2025, she went underground from Venezuela to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

“ Those who destroyed what was one of the richest nations in this hemisphere, but also with one of the most stable democracies, who turned Venezuela into a refuge for criminal groups and the international mafia, who expelled more than 9 million Venezuelans, destroyed families and subjected them to hunger, humiliation and suffering, now say that they will build a system where there is justice. We Venezuelans have already learned, we already know who is who, we know what we want and what we do not want ", stressed.

The opposing leader considered that in power continues the “repression system” that forced thousands of Venezuelans to hide and leave the country, “who kidnapped thousands of citizens, tortured and murdered”.

“ It is clear that very important steps have been taken and I would not be here today if this had not happened, but these people are still there and their capacity for retaliation remains a concern for Venezuelan society,” he stressed.

And so he advanced, “total dismantling of the repressive system is a priority”, that “the release of all political, civil and military prisoners is an absolute priority”.

Pointing to the US as the main ally in the energy sector and defending a plan structured on five fundamental pillars: clear and transparent legislation that allows the whole energy sector to open up to private investment both domestic and international, and the creation of a National Hydrocarbon Agency with absolute autonomy vis-à-vis the national government.

Also a process of strictly transparent public bidding, without direct assignments; a competitive tax system that allows anticipating charges based on the price of oil; and the incorporation of international will into contracts to ensure the full protection of private property.

For the opposing leader, the institutional future of Venezuela requires the appointment of a new Supreme Court, the appointment of a new National Electoral Council and the setting of the date for the presidential elections, in addition to discussing constitutional issues such as the end of indefinite re-election.

“ We will ensure that all Venezuelans, inside and outside the country, with the right to vote, can do so in the forthcoming presidential elections. It is necessary to start updating and debugging the electoral register”, he said.

María Corina Machado, 59, won the primary elections of the Venezuelan opposition in 2023, but was prevented from running for President in July 2024, having supported candidate Edmundo González Urrutia.

At the time, the opposition challenged the re-election of Nicolás Maduro, claiming that the results gathered by his electoral structures gave victory to Urrutia.