Maria Corina Machado says Thatcher was “a person willing to stand up for what she believed in”; Photo: Carlos Becerra/Getty Images
Venezuela's referendum claiming oil-rich parts of neighboring Guyana was a sham, the country's main opposition leader said.
Maria Corina Machado, who counts Margaret Thatcher among her heroes and who will face Nicolas Maduro in next year's presidential election, accused the Venezuelan leader of using the territorial dispute as “propaganda”.
Year-long quarrel over rich The Esequibo region's oil crisis, which is being considered by the International Court of Justice, escalated this week when voters in Venezuela rejected the court's jurisdiction and supported the creation of a new Venezuelan state.
Guyana questioned the legitimacy of the vote, put its military on high alert and said Mr Maduro was defying an order from the International Court of Justice to take no action to change the status quo in Esequibo.
Ms. Machado told The Telegraph that while Venezuela “absolutely” has the right to claim ownership of Esequibo, the fight for territory must be fought in court.
She said: “For all of us, the right to Esequibo and its defense is critical . We have all the historical arguments to defend our claims, but something at this level needs to be done seriously and professionally.”
Machado, 56, also expressed disdain for the credibility of the results, saying most Venezuelans stayed home to protest Maduro's brutal regime.
Mr Maduro has spent weeks calling on TikTok and national television for the Venezuelan public to support a government that will take matters into his own hands.
Venezuela's National Electoral Council said about 10.5 million voters took part in the referendum, which would account for just over half of the 20.6 million people eligible to vote.
But Ms. Machado said the polling stations were empty and accused the administration of using threats to try to mobilize people to vote.
She said: “The regime threatened everyone, told civil servants they would lose their jobs, told people with cars and buses they would lose access to petrol and threatened mothers saying they would not be given access to monthly food parcels.”
Ms Machado added that she was proud that the Venezuelan people remained defiant, with many allegedly deciding: “I will not be forced, I will not be threatened.”
She added: “No one in Venezuela doesn't question our rights, but it's one thing to use it as a flag to try to gain support for a regime that everyone rejects.”
Ms. Machado spoke about the decision that the court would have to comply with.
“We have no time to waste. We must concentrate on bringing together our best experts, as well as experts from around the world, who can come together and present our arguments in court.”
Venezuela's chief prosecutor last week ordered the arrest of a dozen opposition members, including three from Ms. Machado's campaign team, accusing them of plotting against the referendum.
Ms Machado, dubbed the people's princess, is preparing to take on Maduro in next year's elections after winning more than 92 percent of the vote in the primaries.
The government has tried to discredit the results, denouncing alleged fraud since voting day . which was organized without government assistance and attracted more than 2.3 million voters.
While questions remain about whether next year's elections will be transparent and fair, Ms. Machado is helping mobilize 600,000 people to protect the ballot and the integrity of next year's elections.
Ms. Machado is an outspoken critic Maduro regime. Machado has been an enemy of Chavismo (the political ideology of former President Hugo Chavez) for more than two decades, when she called Chavez a thief live on television.
She was banned from holding public office
Last June, the government banned Ms. Machado will hold public office for 15 years.
The opposition leader believes in small government, free markets and privatization. She said she respected Thatcher not only because she shared many of her ideas, but also “because of her character.”
She added: “She was a person willing to stand up for what she believed in.” believed, even if she was against the tide, and my life was always swimming against the tide.
“People told me that my ideas would never be widely accepted. But I said, “This is right. This is what works.”
Citing the country's gas and oil reserves, Ms. Machado dreams of turning Venezuela into “the energy hub of America.”
Ms. Machado, the eldest of four daughters born into a wealthy family, was originally trained as an industrialist. . an engineer who plans to follow in her father's footsteps in the steel industry to “prove he doesn't need sons.”
But she said she became involved in politics in the early days of Chavismo, when, in her words, “the destruction began” and she realized: “You can't have spaces or islands… where you can feel comfortable if your country is being destroyed.” /p>
Asked whether she could represent the Venezuelan people with her wealthy background, Ms. Machado said the poor people she talks to are the most supportive of privatization.
“They are.” they tell me “I want to work, let me do it… give me the opportunity to get credit, access to technology, and so on. I want to make my own things.”
Like many Venezuelans, Ms. Machado spent years separated from her children.
She sent her daughter and two sons to the United States and France. more than a decade ago after receiving death threats.
Ms. Machado, heading into the chaos of next year, has only one wish: that her children would not give her grandchildren.
< p >First, she said, she needs to “fix” Venezuela and “transfer the presidency to another democratic government.”
She added: “I want to be a practical grandmother… wait.” a little please. Only six years have passed.”
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