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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says her country is standing at the "threshold of freedom," as her newly released "freedom manifesto" envisions a future without the Maduro regime.
"We are at a turning point in the history of Venezuela…" Machado said in a "Fox & Friends Weekend" exclusive premiering this weekend.
"These are the values that are shared by our Venezuelan people. We have been so hurt in our soul, in our families, in our values, in our land. And the country has come back together and is rising with pride."
Machado released the four-page manifesto on Tuesday, though the document is dated Nov. 9. Its contents spell out democratic pillars she says are integral to all Venezuelans, including free speech, assembly and voting rights.
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Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures during an anti-government protest on Jan. 9 in Caracas, Venezuela. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
"We, the citizens of Venezuela, are not appealing to power or privilege, but rather to the eternal rights that have been bestowed upon every human. It is from this foundation that truth is born. No ruler, faction, or tyrannical force has the ability to dictate to individuals what is theirs by right: freedom," it reads in part.
"Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy, who interviewed Machado, pointed to the development as evidence that the people of Venezuela "must see light at the end of the tunnel."
"Back in 1999, this country gave away their freedom in much the way that I think New York City is doing," Campos-Duffy said Wednesday while previewing the interview on "Fox & Friends."
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro parades in a military vehicle during Independence Day celebrations in Caracas on July 5, 2024. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
"They voted in socialists, and this has been the result: they’ve lost their freedom and their economic power."
Campos-Duffy noted that Venezuela was once "the most economically rich country in the hemisphere" and "the envy of all the other Latin American countries."
"Look at them now," she continued. "I think they’re seeing this giant armada off the coast of Venezuela. They're seeing the economic pressure being placed on Maduro, and they’re signaling, to their people and to the world, [that] 'We are ready for a peaceful transfer of power. We know how to run a democracy. We've got this blueprint for a constitution.'"
She added that, unlike other nations where the U.S. has played a direct role in regime change, Venezuela "doesn’t need to be stood up economically," adding that they have all the resources necessary to thrive, but the current administration has misused them.
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Machado said Venezuelans are united around the principles in the "freedom manifesto," telling Campos-Duffy, "We will see an orderly and peaceful transition, so Venezuela turns into the greatest ally of Western democracies in this region, and that will happen very soon."
Campos-Duffy's full interview with Maria Corina Machado airs this weekend on "Fox & Friends."
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
