MACHADO: NEW ELECTIONS IN VENEZUELA POSSIBLE WITHIN 10 MONTHS

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 6 (Bernama-dpa) -- Opposition leader María Corina Machado has said she believes that new democratic elections in Venezuela are possible within nine to 10 months, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.

"We believe that a real transparent process with manual voting ... throughout the process could be done in nine to 10 months," Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for her work in the Venezuelan opposition, told Politico. "But, well, that depends when you start."

Machado, speaking on Tuesday on a podcast, said she had not yet discussed a specific timetable for the start of such a process with US President Donald Trump. The two met at the White House following a US military operation to oust authoritarian president Nicolás Maduro in early January.

The podcast is yet to be released but Politico published excerpts from it on Thursday.

Trump has indicated that the United States could continue to supervise Venezuela for years to come, particularly with regard to the expansion of oil infrastructure.

Trump told the New York Times last month that "only time will tell" how long the US will exercise its supervision over Venezuela.

Since Maduro's capture, the South American country has been ruled by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was previously Maduro's vice president. The political future of Venezuela remains completely uncertain.

Following Maduro's re-election in 2024, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud, Machado had not called for new elections, but had pushed for a change of power based on the results at that time. 

Edmundo González Urrutia was widely considered by the opposition and international observers to have won the presidential vote.

--BERNAMA-dpa