Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said Saturday that the regime of interim president Delcy Rodríguez fears her return to the country, speaking from Panama where she has been present following a major earthquake.
"The Rodríguez regime does not want me to be present, it fears my return, because it knows there is an entire country that is united and willing to advance in a civic and firm manner to achieve our task, which is a transition to democracy," Machado told local television station TVN.
Machado added that "Venezuela will be free and there is nothing that Delcy Rodríguez nor her regime can do to prevent it."
The opposition leader was in Panama on Saturday at a collection center established in the capital following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Friday. The quake resulted in no deaths but caused approximately thirty injuries and material damage, according to authorities.
This marked the second time Machado has given statements to Panamanian media since arriving in the country. Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, has been a prominent figure in Venezuelan opposition politics and has faced restrictions on her political participation in recent years.
The interim government led by Rodríguez has been in place following political turmoil in Venezuela. Machado's statements reflect ongoing tensions between the opposition and the current administration regarding the country's political future and the possibility of democratic transition.