maria corina machado. welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much, stephen, it is a pleasure. great to have you on the show. for years, you have argued that participating in democracy in venezuela under nicolas maduro s rule, is a grave mistake because it ends up legitimising maduro. how come you have now decided to your hat in the ring how come you have now decided to put your hat in the ring and seek the nomination from the opposition, to fight in next year s presidential elections? for years, venezuela s people have been explaining to the world the way nicolas maduro have been rigging elections and turning down through control and repression, thejudiciary system, the national assembly, as well as the military at every single democratic institution. we have reached a point in which we realise maduro is willing to do anything to stay in power. the only way through which we can confront and defeat him is building a huge, unprecedented social movement, citizen movement that is ri
venezuelan is more than willing to embrace this possibility, and very excited about it, especially with the poor and the young. i do want to be a little personal with you, you have talked about your own family, you have three children and all of them are currently living outside of venezuela. i just wonder when you talk about the millions of venezuelans who fled from the country, whether you, given you are separated from your own children, whether you really think right now, it is worth staying in venezuela, and fighting nicholas maduro politically? it is absolutely worth it, and i m sure that one day, when we look back, we will agree with that. a few days ago, a woman told me, she told me, you are the only instrument i have left to bring my kids back, and i looked at her back, and i say, you are the only one i have to bring my own. so this is very profound, this is very powerful, and even though i sometimes
certainly but even the support of the regime in the basis and middle ranks of the armed forces and police is melting down because people in the military and in other groups, do have family sisters, mothers, children that are also starving. but. over 9 million people in venezuela are under starvation right now. the regime is not the same, the world understands maduro is toxic. how credible are you as the woman to topple maduro when actually you have been banned from holding public office for 15 years? even if you were to win the nomination to represent the opposition, later this year, under venezuela s current laws, you could not run for president? the question will be, don t you think, that is proof how much the regime fears facing us, facing me in the next year election.
totally indebted, debts that they cannot pay, because no one is going to invest in a country that is last, i mean last in every single index of rule of law, in the world. so, they have, right now, huge problems, they have arms, certainly but even the support of the regime on the basis and middle ranks of the armed forces and police is melting down because people in the military and in other groups, do have family sisters, mothers, children that are also starving. but. over 9 million people in venezuela are under starvation right now. the regime is not the same, the world understands maduro is toxic. how credible are you as the woman to topple maduro when actually you have been banned from holding public office for 15 years? even if you were to win the nomination to represent
democracy. and this is beautiful because for the first time in our history, yes, we are proposing a vision, a development of venezuela which has the individual and the family at the centre. not the state on top of us. venezuelan is more than willing to embrace this possibility, and very excited about it, especially with the poor and the young. i do want to be a little personal with you, you have talked about your own family, you have three children and all of them are currently living outside of venezuela. i just wonder when you talk about the millions of venezuelans who fled from the country, whether you, given you are separated from your own children, whether you really think right now, it is worth staying in venezuela, and fighting nicholas maduro politically? it is absolutely worth it, and i m sure that one day, when we look back,