Machado Says Venezuela's Rodriguez Fears Her Return

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Saturday that interim President Delcy Rodriguez fears her return to Venezuela because the government knows the country is united for a democratic transition. Speaking to local network TVN at a donation center for victims of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Panama, Machado declared that nothing Rodriguez or her administration can do will prevent Venezuela from becoming free.

Machado has been in Panama since at least June 29, referring to the country as her "second home." She traveled there after a double earthquake struck Venezuela's Caribbean coast on June 24, leaving thousands dead or missing, which she said prompted the regime to close Venezuelan airspace to block her entry.

“Venezuela will be free and there is nothing Delcy Rodriguez or her regime can do to prevent it.”

In late September, Machado attempted to leave Panama for Venezuela three times on a private flight, but Curacao, Bonaire, and Aruba denied landing permission, according to an anonymous source with knowledge of the events. She insisted she is doing everything possible to overcome obstacles and return to fulfill her duty.

This was Machado's second public appearance in Panamanian media since arriving; the first was on July 5 during a mass led by Archbishop Jose Domingo Ulloa for victims of the Venezuelan quakes.