Machado Says Venezuela Could Hold Elections in Less Than a Year a Shorter Timeline Than That Reportedly Given By Trump Official

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said new democratic elections in the country could be organized in less than a year if preparations begin promptly, outlining a proposed timeline while signaling that key details have not yet been discussed with the president.

"We believe that a real transferring process with manual voting ... throughout the process could be done in nine to 10 months. But, well, that depends when you start," Machado said Tuesday in an interview with Politico's Dasha Burns.

Machado told the news outlet that she has not yet spoken with president Trump about that election timetable, even after meeting at the White House following Nicolás Maduro's capture in January. As Politico points out, Trump has suggested the U.S. could continue to oversee Venezuela for years, controlling the development of infrastructure to extract oil from the country's reservoirs.

Her proposed timeline contrasts with comments attributed to Energy Secretary Chris Wright last week, who, according to a Wall Street Journal report , told executives that Venezuela would hold elections in roughly 18 to 24 months. That longer horizon reflects a more gradual transition scenario under continued U.S. oversight.

In the Politico interview, Machado also argued Venezuela differs from other recent U.S.-backed nation-building efforts.

"In our case, look, we have a democratic culture, strong democratic culture. We have an organized society. We have a legitimate leadership with huge popular support and our armed forces are also supportive of a transition to democracy"

She pointed to past Venezuelan elections held "under very tough circumstances" and added, "If we were able to do that under such extreme conditions, imagine now, when we have the support of the United States government."

Machado has also pressed U.S. lawmakers to support her return to Venezuela in the last few weeks, according to reporting by The Washington Post. Notes from a closed-door Capitol Hill meeting reviewed by the newspaper quote her as saying: "Tell the president that I want to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible."

Her allies told the Post that her return is central to a democratic transition, while some analysts and former officials warned that current U.S. cooperation with Venezuela's interim leadership could delay structural political reform.

Originally published on Latin Times