In an interview with FRANCE 24, Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said that Sunday's referendum in Venezuela over the status of the disputed region of Essequibo was "absolutely not" the success proclaimed by the Maduro regime. According to electoral authorities, 95 percent of voters approved of Venezuela's claim to the large swath of neighbouring Guyana, but turnout was around 50 percent. Asked about the political situation in Venezuela, she said the Maduro regime was "in its weakest position ever" and that she expected to "face Maduro and defeat him" in the 2024 presidential elections.
Machado pointed to the low turnout in the non-binding vote on Essequibo as a "huge defeat" for Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. She added that holding the referendum was wrongheaded, stressing that the best way to win back the disputed region was through the International Court of Justice.
