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Venezuela's opposition leader on what's next as post-election crackdown persists

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corino Machado says she has no plans to leave the country. That is despite an ongoing crackdown against opponents of the government of President Nicolas Maduro. Machado and the opposition dispute Maduro's claim that he won the recent presidential election. So do many international governments, including the U.S. Well, this morning, Machado spoke with international journalists about what is next for Venezuela. Manuel Rueda has the story.

MANUEL RUEDA: Maria Corino Machado has been forced to keep a low profile recently. President Nicolas Maduro has accused her of being a terrorist and even blamed her for a power outage that left much of the country without electricity last week.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MARIA CORINO MACHADO: We've come a really long way. We've never been stronger than we are today. The regime has never been weaker.

RUEDA: So for her safety, Machado rarely appears in public. Today, she spoke with international journalists on a Zoom call that was held from an undisclosed location.

(CROSSTALK)

RUEDA: Many people have been coming out to the streets in Venezuela over the past month to dispute the election results and to urge Maduro to step down. And more than 1,600 protesters have been arrested, including dozens of teenagers. Earlier this week, a judge issued an arrest warrant against Edmundo Gonzalez, the opposition candidate who appears to have beaten Maduro in July's presidential election.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MACHADO: Everybody know that Edmundo Gonzalez won by a landslide.

RUEDA: Machado says that these actions show that Maduro has lost popular support.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MACHADO: There are some people in the circles of the system that have reached to us. There are some that understand that this is not sustainable because of the abuses he has committed and the situation of the country which is deteriorating every day.

RUEDA: So far, only a handful of countries have recognized Maduro's victory, including Russia, Nicaragua, China and Iran. Most democratic nations, meanwhile, including the U.S., have challenged Maduro to prove he won the election by presenting tally sheets that show he got the most votes. Maduro has ignored those requests and has instead relied on his allies in the military and the judicial system to try to control protests within Venezuela.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MACHADO: This is a critical moment. The world needs to act.

RUEDA: Machado says it's time for world governments to recognize Gonzalez as Venezuela's president-elect. She's also urging countries like the U.S. to get tougher on Maduro and impose sanctions that might force Maduro's allies to break away from his coalition.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MACHADO: They have a tool box, and that has to be coordinated with intelligence, creativity and strength. And that's what we're demanding right now.

RUEDA: These tools could include individual financial sanctions on judges and military leaders within Venezuela, but also broader sanctions against Venezuelan oil exports that could starve Maduro's government of funding.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MACHADO: If there's someone that believes in opening markets and turning Venezuela into the energy hub of the Americas, it's us.

RUEDA: Machado said that oil companies should stop working with Maduro and back the opposition instead.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MACHADO: I do think that the companies that are currently in Venezuela or thinking to coming to Venezuela may also start to evaluate the cost in terms of reputation and goodwill that anyone close to Maduro will pay in the days to come.

RUEDA: Maduro's government currently works with U.S. oil company Chevron to produce more than 120,000 barrels of oil per day. The joint venture has helped the Venezuelan government boost its revenues. But Machado says that millions of people could leave Venezuela over the next couple of years if Maduro remains in power. She added that her country will also become a beachhead for Russian and Iranian interests.

For NPR News, I'm Manuel Rueda in Bogota. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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