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The Guardian World1 min read
A match made in opposition: Venezuela’s Machado courts Spain’s right wing
TL;DR
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado aligns with Spain's right-wing parties on economic issues but diverges on social topics like abortion. She declined to meet with Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during her visit to Spain.
Key points
- Maria Corina Machado aligns with Spain's right-wing parties
- She declined to meet with Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez
- The meeting in Barcelona was deemed inadvisable by Machado
- Divisions exist over social issues like abortion
Mentioned in this story
Maria Corina MachadoPeople's PartyVoxPedro Sanchez
Madrid, Spain – Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is aligned with Spain’s main right-wing party on its economic visions, but they are divided by social issues such as abortion, analysts say.
On a visit to Spain this weekend, Machado chose to snub an invitation to meet Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the left-wing coalition government officials.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner said she had chosen not to meet Sanchez because he was hosting a summit of left-wing leaders from Latin America in Barcelona.
“What has transpired in the past few hours at the meeting held in Barcelona with various political leaders from different countries is proof that such a meeting was not advisable,” Machado told a meeting in Madrid on Saturday.
Instead, she held a series of meetings with leaders from the opposition conservative People’s Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party.
Machado received a rapturous welcome from Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the PP party leader and Venezuelan emigres in Madrid, on Friday.
On Saturday, the Venezuelan opposition leader met Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the populist conservative Madrid regional leader, one of Sanchez’s fiercest critics and a possible rival to Feijoo.
Ayuso presented Madrid’s gold medal to Machado, while Madrid’s Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida – also of the PP – handed her the keys to the city before a rally with Venezuelan supporters.
Machado also met Santiago Abascal, the leader of Vox, in the Spanish capital.
Feijoo praised how Machado had championed freedom even at the cost of going into hiding in Venezuela away from her family.
“Spain knows well the value of freedom; it cost us dearly to obtain it. The generations of our parents and grandparents know what it is to live without freedom. That is why we cannot look the other way,” Feijoo said.
What divides Venezuela and Spain’s opposition?
Despite the cordial welcome, there are significant differences between Machado and Feijoo, commentators said.
A liberal conservative, who has said she is an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, Machado has been dubbed Venezuela’s “Iron Lady”.
She moved from the right politically to the centre-ground during the 2024 presidential campaign to attract voters in the middle ground.
As a conservative, Machado heads a Venezuelan opposition that is split and which also contains more liberal factions.
In contrast, Feijoo heads a well-organised conservative political party, which has only recently suffered divisions after the formation of the hard-right Vox party in 2013, analysts said.
Carlos Malamud, an expert on Latin America at the Real Elcano Institute, a think tank in Madrid, said the structure of both opposition groups was different.
Q&A
Why did Maria Corina Machado refuse to meet with Pedro Sanchez?
Maria Corina Machado refused to meet with Pedro Sanchez because he was hosting a summit of left-wing leaders from Latin America, which she deemed inadvisable.
What are the main political parties Maria Corina Machado met with in Spain?
Maria Corina Machado met with leaders from Spain's conservative People's Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party during her visit.
What social issues divide Machado and Spain's right-wing parties?
Maria Corina Machado and Spain's right-wing parties are divided on social issues such as abortion, despite their alignment on economic visions.
What was the significance of Machado's visit to Spain?
Machado's visit to Spain highlights her strategic alignment with right-wing parties in Europe while distancing herself from leftist leaders, reflecting broader political dynamics.
