Maduro Says Opposition Wants to Bring Leader Machado Back 'On a Warship' to Impose Her in Venezuela

Venezuela's authoritarian president Nicolás Maduro accused the opposition of seeking to impose María Corina Machado as leader of the country by force, claiming without evidence that foreign actors intend to bring her to Venezuela "on a warship."

Speaking during the virtual XXV Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), Maduro compared Machado to former opposition figure Juan Guaidó, who was recognized by the United States and several allies as interim president in 2019.

The Venezuelan leader accused opposition figures of being part of what he described as a criminal network and alleged they profited from human trafficking. "Juan Guaidó, Leopoldo López, agent of the CIA, Carlos Vecchio, David Smolansky, Julio Borges and Mrs. María Machado, who is the new Guaidó, who they now want to bring on a warship and impose in Venezuela," Maduro said.

In another passage of his address, Maduro asserted that the country's economy is recovering. "Now we have recovered the economy, and the economy is growing," he added, claiming that nearly 1.4 million of the 2.4 million Venezuelans who migrated abroad have returned, as local news site Caraota Digital reports.

Maduro also expressed confidence that deportation flights from the United States would continue under an existing repatriation agreement. "We have a program even with the current government of the United States for the return of migrants, which I hope will continue for weeks, months and years," he said.

His comments follow earlier attacks on Machado after she reemerged publicly abroad following months in hiding inside Venezuela. Last week, Maduro accused the Nobel laureate of encouraging foreign intervention and supporting U.S. actions against the country, including the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker.

As Maduro renewed his criticism of Machado, Venezuelan security forces detained Melquiades Pulido García, a senior member of Vente Venezuela, the political party she leads. The party said agents of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service detained Pulido in Caracas without a judicial warrant and did not disclose his whereabouts.

Vente Venezuela warned that Pulido, 70, suffers from Parkinson's disease and a blood clotting disorder requiring continuous medical care, and described the detention as a forced disappearance. The party demanded his immediate release.