María Corina Machado

I never thought I would be sitting here with you talking about politics or democracy.

I never thought I would be sitting here with you talking about politics or democracy.

Look, we had a period of democracy that brought Venezuela huge opportunities, you know, that widespread education and health.

Look, we had a period of democracy that brought Venezuela huge opportunities, you know, that widespread education and health.

Unfortunately,

Unfortunately,

we stopped short of a real free economy, but the state control, not only of institutions, but as you mentioned, when the oil companies were turned into the government, and terrible incentives started being created, and more and more people felt excluded from that, you know,

we stopped short of a real free economy, but the state control, not only of institutions, but as you mentioned, when the oil companies were turned into the government, and terrible incentives started being created, and more and more people felt excluded from that, you know,

wealth that the society, the Venezuelan society was getting or a country was getting because it was all in hands of the state.

wealth that the society, the Venezuelan society was getting or a country was getting because it was all in hands of the state.

So we've never known but the state-controlled economy, we've never always known or never seen anything but that kind of socialist procedures in place.

So we've never known but the state-controlled economy, we've never always known or never seen anything but that kind of socialist procedures in place.

When Chávez arrived

When Chávez arrived

We had gone through a political, you know, crisis and there were growing tensions and, you know, planes of corruption in the political system, the party system.

We had gone through a political, you know, crisis and there were growing tensions and, you know, planes of corruption in the political system, the party system.

And also the price of oil had, you know, declined.

And also the price of oil had, you know, declined.

It was around $8 a barrel.

It was around $8 a barrel.