Florida Republicans have rallied behind Maria Corina Machado. The opposition leader has gained a significant following on her journey to defeat the Maduro regime. In response to Machado’s presidential campaign, Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) has introduced a resolution to recognize her as Venezuela’s legitimate presidential candidate.
Earlier this year, the Maduro regime allowed Maria Corina Machado to run an opposition presidential primary campaign, and in exchange, the United States would ease sanctions on gas, oil, and gold exports from Venezuela. However, after Machado was victorious, the Maduro regime nullified the result of the election, which was a violation of their agreement with the United States.
Because of this, Florida Republicans are now launching an effort to help Machado by introducing a resolution that would recognize Machado as the only legitimate Presidential candidate.
Rep. Salazar, who is the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairwoman, was joined by Florida Reps. Carlos Gimenez (R) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R) introducing the legislation. A Senate version has also been introduced in the senate.
In a statement, Rep. Salazar commented that “the Venezuelan opposition overwhelmingly chose Maria Corina Machado to lead the fight against the Maduro regime,” adding that “the United Sates must offer its fully support for her and her campaign as millions of Venezuelans around the world rally around her struggle against the dictatorship.”
Rep. Diaz-Balart further explained that “the Venezuelan people, both in Venezuela and abroad, overwhelmingly endorsed Maria Corina Machado as the leading Venezuelan opposition candidate,” adding that he “strongly opposed the Biden Administration’s decision to relax sanctions on the Maduro dictatorship, while establishing an arbitrary November 30, 2023 deadline, which was done purportedly to encourage free and fair elections in Venezuela.”
When the Biden administration announced that it would be easing sanctions, Democrats welcomed the news but mentioned that they were cautious while Republicans rallied against the decision.
