Chairwoman Salazar Invites Venezuelan Presidential Candidate María Corina Machado to Speak Before the United States Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairwoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) convened a bipartisan roundtable discussion for María Corina Machado, Venezuelan presidential candidate and leader of the Venezuelan opposition, to speak before the United States Congress.

In light of the Maduro regime’s illegitimate disqualification of María Corina running to represent her country proudly, this conversation was of utmost importance. The reality facing Venezuelans at home and abroad is that when it comes to María Corina’s candidacy, there is no Plan B. She fairly won the right to run by winning over 90% of the primary vote, and no one, including the Maduro regime, should be able to stop her.

The United States must stand with María Corina Machado, the best chance Venezuela has to rid itself of the Mafia de Miraflores.

“I have sent the message to the White House: We are here to work with them but we need to make sure there are free, fair, and transparent elections where they allow you to run and let the Venezuelan people decide who they want their next president to be,” said Chairwoman Salazar. “There is no Plan B. You were chosen, you played by the rules, and we have to respect that.”

The Chavista-controlled Supreme Court of Justice announced in January that it would ratify the disqualification of María Corina Machado from running for office for 15 years. This came after she appealed the Maduro regime’s illegitimate disqualification (despite winning over 90% of support from the opposition).

In response, the Biden Administration reimposed sanctions on gold and threatened to reimpose sanctions on oil should the Maduro regime decide not to reverse course before April 18th. This comes after the broken Barbados Agreement reached between the Administration and Maduro in October 2023.

Over time, the Maduro regime has become more desperate in its attempts to prohibit a victory by María Corina, both through legal means and through political distractions. For example, Maduro held a sham referendum on the annexation of the Essequibo region of Guyana while having his Attorney General Tarek William Saab issued an arrest warrant against several members of María Corina’s closest political advisors on spurious charges of money laundering.

Chairwoman Salazar was quick to denounce the Supreme Court of Justice’s sham ruling against María Corina Machado’s candidacy in a statement with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-ID). She has also introduced legislation to ensure transparent democratic elections have a chance to take place this year in Venezuela.

To watch the full roundtable discussion, click HERE.

To see Chairwoman Salazar and María Corina Machado’s full remarks in Spanish, click HERE.

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