Eduardo González
The president of the People’s Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has called the US intervention in Venezuela “historic” and accused the Spanish government of having “abandoned its diplomatic resources and moral leadership to confront the tyranny of Maduro,” whom, “on the contrary, it has given time and excuses.”
“What happened in the early hours of January 3, 2026, in Venezuela, with the intervention of the United States and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, defies any other description,” Feijóo declared in a statement released this Sunday. “Here, the speculation and conjecture end, and the time begins to take a realistic and responsible stance, yes, but also, and above all, a courageous one,” he stated.
“The first thing is to recognize that an evil has been defeated: the capture of Maduro is unequivocally good news. A dictatorial, repressive regime that has caused the ruin of a rich country, the destruction of its institutions, and the largest exodus in Latin America, has been decapitated,” he wrote.
“Based on this undeniable reality, it is imperative to reaffirm the commitments and values that Spain defends in the international arena and, in particular, toward the Hispanic American sphere and the Hispanic world,” he continued.
According to Feijóo, the transition in Venezuela “must be based on a democratic electoral process.” “The leadership of the legitimate president, Edmundo González, and María Corina Machado represents the democratic, peaceful, and constitutional path for Venezuela,” the PP leader stated. “The Venezuelan people, under heroic circumstances, supported them with almost 70% of the vote in 2024,” he recalled. “Dictatorships are not overthrown halfway, and the dawn of a new era demands that Venezuelans have a voice and the ability to decide on the future of their country,” he added.
According to Feijóo, María Corina Machado “is the person who has brought Venezuela to the brink of freedom,” and therefore, “leaving her out of this process is worse than a personal injustice: it perpetuates abuse and arbitrariness.” “Legitimacy only arises from free elections, the rule of law, and respect for individual freedoms,” he warned. In the press conference following the attack on Venezuela, US President Donald Trump responded that “it would be very difficult” for Machado to be the next president of Venezuela because “she doesn’t have the support or respect within the country.”
Furthermore, the leader of the People’s Party (PP) warned that “the future of Venezuela cannot be led by someone who has been Maduro’s right-hand woman for the last few years.” “(Vice President) Delcy Rodríguez, an accomplice and key player in the dictatorship, corruption, and plundering of Venezuela, represents its darkest past,” and therefore, “presenting as a solution or a transitional figure someone sanctioned by the EU and the US for human rights violations would be nothing more than a continuation of the regime,” he declared.
Feijóo also denounced that Pedro Sánchez’s government “has abandoned its diplomatic resources and moral leadership to confront Maduro’s tyranny.” “On the contrary, it has given him time and excuses.” “The influence and respect that Spain has lost in this process will be difficult to recover, but all of us who believe in our country are called upon to demonstrate the exemplary conduct that the government has failed to provide,” he added. Finally, the People’s Party (PP) remembered “the twenty or so Spanish citizens” who remain imprisoned in Venezuelan jails for “desiring freedom and fighting for it democratically.”