Durbin, Shaheen Meet With Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yesterday met virtually with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who remains in hiding in Caracas.
Ms. Machado was fairly chosen by voters in last year’s opposition primary to run against Nicolas Maduro in the July 2024 presidential election, but was crudely disqualified by the Maduro regime. Retired Venezuelan diplomat Edmundo González ran as the substitute opposition candidate. Following the July 28 election, Maduro falsely claimed victory, despite refusing to release actual ballot data and detailed election observer data that showed a clear and overwhelming victory for Mr. González. The Maduro regime refused to peacefully transfer power by the January 2025 inauguration, instead arresting the opposition leaders, which resulted in Mr. González fleeing the country and Ms. Machado going into hiding.
“It was an honor to speak with Ms. María Corina Machado—who has bravely continued to push for respect of the legitimate Venezuelan presidential election results for the last six months,” Durbin said. “Ms. Machado faces real risk, but remains undaunted. Our call was a chance to remind her that the Venezuelan people’s democratic aspirations and demands that the legitimate results of the July 2024 elections be respected are not forgotten here in the United States Senate.”
“Ms. Machado is a remarkably courageous leader. Her unwavering commitment to Venezuelan democracy at great personal risk reminds us all of how precious our freedoms and liberties are. Almost a year after Edmundo Gonzalez’s historic victory in Venezuela’s July 2024 election, Maria Corina and her colleagues in the Venezuelan opposition continue to defend the will of the Venezuelan people,” said Shaheen. “As the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will continue to support their efforts and will continue to work on a bipartisan basis to put forward actionable solutions to this regional crisis.”
A photo of the meeting is available here.
In September, Durbin, along with Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), met with five Latin American democracies’ ambassadors to discuss the electoral crisis in Venezuela. And earlier this year, Durbin introduced a bill terminating all U.S. petroleum cooperation and petroleum-related trade with Venezuela until the legitimate results of the recent Venezuelan election are respected.
In April 2018, Durbin traveled to Venezuela, where he met with then-National Assembly Member Juan Guaidó as well as Nicolás Maduro, warning him that pursuing a sham election the following month would further isolate his autocratic regime.
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