Mixed Reactions Amongst Venezuelans in South Florida.  María Corina Machado Offers Talks with Delcy Rodríguez.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said Monday that she is ready to meet with interim President Delcy Rodríguez, an offer that drew both skepticism and support among Venezuelan exiles in South Florida.  Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, returned to Venezuela after 10 months in exile.

Her willingness to engage with Rodríguez has raised questions among some who want a complete break with the country’s longtime leadership.  “That’s something that we wouldn’t want. We want a complete change in power,” said Carlos Perez, a Venezuelan exile in South Florida. “They’re just not people that you can negotiate with.” 

Perez described Rodríguez as a “chavista,” referring to the political movement founded by the late Hugo Chávez and continued under ousted President Nicolás Maduro. He questioned whether negotiations would produce meaningful change, but expressed confidence in Machado. 

“We all believe in Maria Corina. We think that she’s the one. It gives us a lot of hope,” he said.  Others, including Geraldine Pullas, said Venezuelans should trust Machado’s judgment as she navigates a difficult political landscape.  “If she’s so brave to do that and still be able to achieve something for us, I think she deserves all the praise that we can give her, because it’s not an easy position for her,” Pullas said. 

Machado was allowed to return after seven attempts to enter the country since leaving last December to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.  “I think she’s still fighting for us,” Pullas said. “Though we lost a little bit of hope, she never did.” 

On the other hand, Ernesto Ackerman, president of the Independent Venezuelan American Citizens Organization in South Florida, says Machado’s return could be dangerous, and he fears for what could happen to her in the country under Rodriguez’s rule.   “She is the only leader right now; there is no other leader who can take the opposition leadership. I am very concerned about what could happen to her in Venezuela,” Ackerman said.

Machado’s return also puts renewed pressure on Washington. Since the U.S. military operation that ousted Maduro, the Trump administration has backed Rodríguez, the opposition’s main political rival.  Ackerman also said that Trump’s response to Machado’s return should be carefully analyzed. 

When the press asked him about Machado, Trump said: “I think she’s a very nice woman; she gave me her Nobel Prize, so how can I say anything else? And I hope she’s safe; she’s a very nice woman, but we’re doing really well in Venezuela.”  “That opens a door for insecurity for Maria Corina Machado in Venezuela,” Ackerman said.   Machado has called for presidential elections by next July and expressed interest in running for president. Meanwhile former President Maduro below left, awaits trial with his wife in the United States of America.