Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented a roadmap for Venezuela’s future on Tuesday, titled the “Manifesto of Freedom,” which establishes the “principles” for a transitional government in the Latin American country, beyond the government of Nicolás Maduro.
“We are on the threshold of a new era, one in which our natural rights will prevail. The long and violent abuse of power by this regime is coming to an end. A new Venezuela is emerging from the ashes, renewed in spirit and united in purpose, like a phoenix reborn: fierce, radiant, and unstoppable. (…) Our individual freedom will reach its fullness in a Venezuela where freedom shines,” she declared.
The document, which establishes “dignity” and freedom as key principles, begins by stating that “a renewed Venezuela will guarantee the right to property and to recover what was stolen,” emphasizing that “it is not a privilege of an elite,” but “a fundamental right.”
Thus, it maintains that the government, “instead of unduly interfering,” will create the “conditions for a free and competitive economy to flourish.” “The wealth of Venezuela will never again be concentrated in the hands of a single centralized power.” “Let’s imagine a new Venezuela, a leader in the Western Hemisphere, transformed into the world’s main energy hub: a symbol of independence and innovation,” she asserted.
Machado advocated for establishing freedom of expression as “the cornerstone of all freedom,” arguing that “when voices are silenced, corruption takes root and justice disappears.” In this context, she maintained that “the people must be able to speak without fear of persecution, censorship, or reprisal.”
She also described the ballot box as “sacred” and, therefore, emphasized that “every Venezuelan must have the right to vote safely and without any manipulation.” “May Venezuelan elections once again be a symbol of honor, not oppression,” she urged, before calling for “international cooperation and collaboration.”
The opposition leader also called for respect for freedom of assembly, stating that “peaceful civic protest does not threaten the country, it strengthens it”; the right to security, restoring trust between the State and its citizens and reforming the security forces; and a policy She called for a return home for the “nine million Venezuelans who have been forced to flee their land.”
Finally, she proposed that education be “rebuilt” to drive the country’s progress through innovation and technology, aspects with which she intends to “leave behind, forever, the culture of corruption.” She also denounced the destruction of the Venezuelan Amazon as an “environmental” and “moral” catastrophe.
Machado presented this proposal after the July 2024 elections—in which she ran but was disqualified—when Venezuelan authorities declared Maduro the winner despite the opposition’s accusations of fraud and the government’s refusal to release the official tally sheets to prove his victory. Since then, Machado has been in hiding “somewhere in Venezuela,” and the opposition candidate who ultimately faced Maduro at the polls, Edmundo González, went into exile in Spain.
