María Corina Machado won the Venezuelan opposition primaries with 92.35% of the votes, according to the bulletin of the National Primary Commission (CNP). In her first speech after getting the result, the politician declared to the press that her main objective in 2024 (the year of the next presidential election) is to remove the regime of dictator Nicolás Maduro from power:
In 2024 we are going to win in that presidential election, we are going to collect, and we are going to evict Nicolás Maduro and his regime and we are going to begin the reconstruction of our nation. Venezuela has broken down all barriers and this has been a citizen avalanche that has united our country.
Machado posted on social media, "Thank you, Venezuela!! (...) This is not the end, but it is the beginning of the end."
Gracias, Venezuela!!
Este no es el final, pero sí es el principio del final. pic.twitter.com/oY49yavTxn
— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) October 23, 2023
Machado won more than 2 million votes from Venezuelan citizens. However, she is running as an opposition leader despite being disqualified (until 2030) by the Maduro regime (preventing her from participating in next year's presidential elections).
In second place was Carlos Prosperi, a candidate from the Democratic Action Party (AD). He won 4.61% of the votes.
Break down "obstacles," "attacks" and "forecasts"
Machado said that she intends to "build a citizen organization like there has never been in history to make every vote count" and assured that she is ready to put an end to the "obstacles," "abuses" and adverse "forecasts" that come with forming part of the Venezuelan opposition and confronting the Maduro regime (which has been in power for more than 25 years).
There is no day of rest here. They are going to be the most luminous and glorious days in our history because they are the days in which this force will continue to grow until we achieve our purpose.
The primary electoral process was carried out throughout Venezuela and in 28 countries abroad (with more than 3,010 voting centers).
The Venezuelan opponent Henrique Capriles congratulated Machado: "I congratulate the winning candidate María Corina Machado for her unquestionable victory in this election. This process reinforces the importance of unity in our fight for democracy. Today we have taken a significant step towards the consolidation of a united front that will allow us to defeat Maduro and the worst Government in the history of the country in 2024."
