María Corina Machado on Why She’s Returning to Venezuela Now

Maria Corina Machado says she's finally returning home to Venezuela. >> [cheering] >> In December, the opposition leader made a daring escape to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. But she's been unable to go home since. Here in Panama City for months now, she's been plotting her return. >> There's so much we need to do to prepare. >> But after ousting strongman Nicolas Maduro in January, the Trump administration has kept his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, in power, even blocking Machado from returning after the earthquake in late June. She told us about her plans to return and to face the authoritarian regime and organize her opposition movement in order to press for free elections. >> Since you left Venezuela last year, you've said you want to go back as soon as possible. And of course, a lot has changed in the country. You'll be returning to a very different Venezuela than the one you left. Can you tell us why it's important to return right now? >> Well, as you say, Venezuela has changed a lot in these last months. Um after January 3rd, an opportunity opened, and and we've seen very important steps being taken. Political prisoners being liberated. People daring to gather in the streets to demand THEIR RIGHTS. >> CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT what you're hoping to achieve physically inside the country that you couldn't do organizing from the outside? >> That's a very important question because this is not about me. This is about 30 million Venezuelans that are suffering and demanding the possibility to move ahead into transition to democracy and freedom, to have our children come back home, to rebuild institutions, to turn Venezuela into the greatest ally of the United States for the long term.