>> when it comes to venezuela, finding freedom and democracy for the venezuelan people. and we have our representative who is also part of the subcommittee. we have representative zelf who is part of the committee and others will be joining. why don't we start the conversation. i want to tell you something. if you need some type of translation, i'm here to translate for you. i do this every day. i know going from spanish to english sometimes is difficult but i want the world to see and hear and to be able to understand to the fullest, what you are trying to say. so i am more than willing, humbly giving you that opportunity if you needed it. so there are no rules. i'm not going to say -- i'm

not going to have an opening remark. i'm just going to ask you a couple of questions and i will give the opportunity to the other members who are here. you state in venezuela when other political leaders left. we are not blaming anybody. it is very hard to live under a regime that follows the rules and it is very hard. the question is, why did you stay and how much did it cost you personally? >> i have stayed because i had profound confidence to decide with the strength of the people and because i only understand freedom in my country and because we are returning venezuela into that marvelous nation to which our children can be coming back and will

come back. i would just like to give you a few ideas of what we are facing right now so that we can start talking among us. first of all, i'm super grateful to all the members of the foreign affairs committee for this unique opportunity to convey the voice of the venezuelan people here and abroad. i want to tell you that we do have a real opportunity for a peaceful transition in venezuela to presidential elections that constitutions should take place this year. the question today is very different from other opportunities we have had in the last 25 years because of the equilibrium and the relative trend of the regime and our people.

the regime is in the weakest position ever even though they shout, it is violence and terror. we, the venezuelan people are stronger than ever. and i know this has been a long fight. some people could have confusion or skepticism or fatigue but i want to remind you that many of the challenges and problems all converge in venezuela. i'm talking about security because of the regime with iran, russia and cuba and has blood and so long. i'm talking about the energy crisis, the global energy crisis. the regime has destroyed infrastructure and we can turn

venezuela into the energy hub of the americas. because of the criminal networks and drug trafficking activities, venezuela has turned into the fourth cocaine producer in the world. and the humanitarian crisis that has produced the devastating effect that a fourth of the population, almost 8 million people, have left our country. imagine, that would represent 84 million of american people leaving your country. imagine what this means to us. the largest migration crisis. it is not syria or ukraine. it is venezuela. i want to say, venezuela is the last country that we would have lost to the world justice project.

142 countries. venezuela, we have more than 300 political prisoners. we have the largest torture center in latin america. cuban agents have been involved in torture cases in our country and right now, as we speak, there are four members of our campaign teams that have disappeared by the forces of the regime. i don't know where they are. so i want to come to this point. the time is now. the time is now. we do have a huge opportunity. the regime, as i say has weakened. first because they have lost the social days completely. second, because they have clashes among the mafia groups

because they have robbed the country. and third, because >> i'm going to give the opportunity to representative castro. the opposition, meaning you, sat down with maduro. it was your vote with 92% of the vote. 92%. every official would like to have those numbers. the maduro reports are saying that you are disqualified. the main question here for all

of us in the united states in both political parties is, are you afraid that your international supporters will abandon you for what they called plan b? >> i am not. i am not. i trust i will have the support. and it is not only me. i have an assistant on this. it is 3 million venezuelan people who voted in the primary. this is a process that made all the opposition finally come together with legitimate leadership that today has more than 80% of support. this is huge. this is not about me. it is about the right of the people to choose the candidate and the leader they want. the fact is that maduro wants to choose his counterpart because he wants to choose somebody he can control and

defeat. i believe i have the support. not only, as we are seeing today , by a bipartisan approach. by the biden administration, by the u.s. congress, but also, by the european union. european parliament, and many governments in latin america, as well. >> we are with you. thank you, representative joaquin castro. >> thank you for fighting for democracy. i also want to congratulate you on your resounding victory in the primary elections. the venezuelan people have struggled for their democratic rights for years, especially since maduro's legitimate efforts to dismiss the democratically elected

venezuelan national assembly in 2018 and revise the venezuelan constitution soon after. i had the privilege of speaking with other opposition voices, including the lead negotiators of the unitary platform and human rights defenders, and appreciate this opportunity to speak with you. it's unfortunate that we have to meet virtually and not in person. as you would clearly not be allowed to return to venezuela if you were to leave. i was encouraged last october, when the maduro regime reached an agreement with the opposition to set the conditions necessary for competitive democratic elections. that agreement, signed in barbados and facilitated by partners in the caribbean in the efforts of the biden admission, have not come to pass, unfortunately. the united states, in support of the agreement, also provided limited sanctions relief, with the expectation that all

candidates for office would be reinstated, that all who want to run for the presidency be allowed to. and that wrongfully detained u.s. nationals in venezuela and political prisoners be released. i'm encouraged by certain steps taken by the regime after the barbados agreement, including the release of him. it disqualifies you, who really and definitively on the primary election. it is inconsistent with the terms of the barbados agreement. i don't think any of us were under the illusion that the venezuelan people would have free and fair elections in 2024, but i believe the process was key to establishing some kind of electoral transition framework and for demonstrating the strength of opposition unity to mr. maduro and to the rest of the world. mr. maduro should not be able to handpick his opponent. he is clearly threatened by your candidacy. only the venezuelan people should pick their leader and

president, not any other country. not the united states. on any other part of the world, but the venezuelan people. i'm not suggesting the united states back a specific candidate. that is a matter for the people of venezuela. our role should be to work with the venezuelan people to establish the process needed to return to competitive elections and democratic society. we are at a crucial point in venezuela's history. the venezuelan opposition has made great strides in putting aside their differences and uniting. there was no small feat, as you know. my message to the venezuelan people is do not squander this opportunity. do not let maduro affect this. we should replace this with productive dialogue and the private sector and local communities. i also agree with president biden's position that these negotiations are not about one

ersan, but a process. i've always said that it doesn't matter if you're on the left or the right of the political spectrum as long as you have a commitment to democracy. unfortunately, nicolas maduro has not. the ban on your candidacy is illegitimate. your participation in this is essential. we cannot allow mr. maduro to continue disrupting the democratic playing field. we must continue pushing for a democratic process that represents the views of all that is well in society. it is not only beneficial to the country and the region, but to the united states, as well. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you very much. thank you very much. >> i am delighted, maria

corina, that my counterpart in the subcommittee in the western hemisphere agrees with the republican party. i repeat. you're not republicans or entrants when it comes to venezuela seeking freedom and holding maduro accountable to what he agreed on. so i'm delighted. and i thank you very much , representative castro for expressing the same desire that we have. there are no political parties here. i have made very clear. i have sent the message to the white house that we are here to work with them, but we need to make sure that they are free, fair elections where they allow you to run and let the venezuelan people decide who they want the next president to be. and that there is no plan b. you were chosen.

you played by the rules. and we have to respect that. even more, the united states. the white house has a leading role here. the biden administered region has a humongous role to play in supporting you, and forcing the regime to play by the rules. the rules that they committed to. that is my position. now, once again, i thank you, representative castro. i would love to work with you on every single issue. let me give the opportunity now to representative huizenga. >> thank you. maria corina, it's a pleasure to meet you. i've seen you do interviews recently on u.s. media. you have done an amazing job explaining what has been going on. i'm sure you can tell.there is no need for the chairwoman to clarify her position. with the passion that she has.

with what is happening. >> i represent millions and millions of venezuelans. >> not only millions of venezuelans. millions of freedom loving people who are looking for liberty and opportunity and freedom. and so you symbolize that. i want to start off with doing something that i don't normally always do. i sit on both the financial services committee, as well as the foreign affairs committee, and one of the things that i deal with a lot is sanctions. what has been going on.and i have been critical of the biden admission with some of their sanctions and applications or lack thereof when it comes to iran and other places. i want to commend them for their stand on venezuela. and as representative castro said, the barbados accord is an important statement, and i believe, an important line in

the sand for this administration, and for our country, and hopefully, countries around the region. and i'm pleased to see that the state department is reconsidering whether it is going to renew the easing of the sanctions on oil and gas. that should be up in april, the middle of april. i too want to lend my voice in that. let me start with a question. are you personally having direct talks with people at the state department or at the white house, or is that going through the coalition negotiators? and then, beyond that, what has been the reaction is you have been telling your story in other countries in latin america and mexico, colombia, brazil, chile -- how has that

reaction been? have you had any cooperation from our neighbors to the north -- or for those of us in michigan, to the east, in canada? have they been supportive, as well? >> thank you very much. the answer is yes. we made contact with members of the u.s. government in the white house and in the state department, as i do in many other countries. latin america, and north america. and europe. we have been receiving huge support. and i have to say that the decision of the regime to insist on banning me, and therefore, as representative castro is saying, violating the rights of millions of venezuelans who voted for me and who want to vote for me -- it has created a wave of rejection. that is why i think it was a huge mistake the regime did.

and i'm very grateful. grateful to see that this approach with venezuela is bipartisan. we are all committed to a true negotiation process. and the respect for the agreement. i havecompes with the agreement. maduro, once again, violated his part. that is the reason we are here right now. we have time for that process to resume. meanwhile, i keep on working hard on creating strength and organizing our citizens network. here and abroad. >> wonderful. >> i have a moment left. talk about the transition.

let's assume.hopefully assume -- that maduro is going to allow this election. my understanding is they haven't actually set a date for the election. but let's assume that that election would move forward. do you have any belief or faith that the outcome of that election, where it is anticipated that he would win, that that would be recognized and that a transition would be allowed? >> i have no doubt that would be the case it they will have to accept the results. it would be a landslide. what we are achieving is the political defeat of the regime. that is already taking place. now, we need the electric part of it. the base of the country is united.

there are incentives for other groups to understand it is in their own best interest to facilitate this transition process. that is part of my responsibility. this will be an orderly and just process ahead. >> my time is expired. i yield back. but thank you. >> thank you very much. despite now, i'm going to get the opportunity to representative keith self. >> this is a rare opportunity. i'm grateful for it. i am less optimistic. my 25 years in the army -- my experience is that dictators do not give up power peacefully. maduro would lose in the election . i believe those are -- in my mind -- fairly strong facts. given that, i would like to know your opinion of the real way ahead.

you have no date, i understand. i would like to know your recommendations on the energy. the u.s. recommendations for the u.s. government on venezuelan energy. and then, how long can what you call an opportunity for peaceful transition last? because in my experience, dictators want to wait you out. until the fervor is gone. until the popular support is gone. so my question deals with the fact that in my experience, dictators do not give up power peacefully. you know the history of south america far better than i do, but those are my questions. i just want to get a sense of -- how do you see this playing out? >> thank you very much. i appreciate your question because i think it is important to understand what you're

saying. i don't think the regime is willing to leave power yet. i don't think they except that even as a possibility yet. but the fact is that we are not being naove. we have been facing this regime for 25 years. we have wonderful moments. but believe me. we have never had this amount of force before. the regime is weak. we need to create all the incentives for all those forces or actors that still support the regime to understand that they should be aligned with the transition that favors everyone. starting with our neighboring countries. i mean, the president of brazil, colombia, and others, they should be the most interested. he saw the huge conflict in venezuela that is creating this problem in other countries. obviously, democratic countries

in the world. but they are still supporting maduro. >> so how does this play out? how does this play out? how long can the fervor last? because obviously, you think you have reached a peak, or maybe not a peek, but a crescendo. so how long can this last? how do you see it playing out? >> in how it has been evolving, representative. a year ago, venezuela was seeing no hope at all. the country looked weak. we managed in just a year to awaken the country, to create a feeling of willingness to fight. to bring people together. we demolished barriers that the regime has put up. that is why the regime is acting as they are acting.

they underestimated us. they have the primary process was not going to take place, that it would be a failure. no one expected more than half 1 million people part spitting. rooms got 3 million people. people have lost fear. they lost dependence on the regime because they realize it goes beyond the electorate. it has to do with existential issues and spiritual issues. people tell me, i need you to bring back my kids, and this is my last chance. we need an organization like this. it is not only the willingness. it is organization. it is creating incentives so the regime will sit down and negotiate with me a transition that gives concessions.

>> thank you. >> thank you, representative self. i think i'm going to follow what you're saying, that dictators don't give up easily. they are in the business of power. why would they give a part of the market share? they owned 100% of the market. maduro, among them. he said effective organization. is the maduro regime allowing you to mobilize and organize the masses that are going to vote against him? what do you face day by day, not only on the personal side, but on the effort that you're telling me that you need to put together under the boot of a dictator? can you share that with us? but that is a good point. precisely the fact that we have that threat that unites the country.

it is a threat to them. that is why they are going so hard against us. i'm not allowed to buy a domestic plane ticket. even the biggest groups in venezuela, they want to stop me from reaching our assemblies. people that assist us. many times, we are attacked. but even so, without having public transportation, thousands of people show up. this is something that is spreading among all sectors. and all sectors, people that work with the police sector. people in the military. they have families. they have wives and children.

they also want to live with dignity and have their children back. so need to isolate this regime as they violate this. if maduro gets out of the electoral vote, it should be isolated. it is in his own interest to stay in the agreement and have this transition take place peacefully. it will not be easy. this is the hardest time. this is the most dangerous moment we have gone through, but believe me, we are committed to going until the end. >> madam chair, i would like you to expand. this is bill huizenga again. what is happening with the economy? how is that affecting people? i had the opportunity to visit

caracas 25 years ago. it was a challenged economy back then. my understanding is it has gotten continually worse. some of that has been because of the sanctions. but just described to us and those watching and listening, what life is like for the venezuelan people right now, and how that has maybe led the to have this movement of courage that you are experiencing with people fighting through the literal and figurative roadblocks that are in front of them to come out and make sure that they are expressing themselves. >> thank you. it has increased over 80% in the last decade. it is because we have a regime that has intentionally destroyed the quality of life and separated our families in order to keep control of our

nation. today, the pensions for the elderly are less than four dollars per month. a teacher earns one dollar a day. the response the regime has given is that they only have school classes two days a week. so teachers can get something else and do something else. our hospitals are without water. without medicine. without any attention. >> how about food availability and then the basics of life of housing, electricity, those kinds of things? >> you need 300 minimum wage to give food to your family. monthly wages. that is a reality. so that is why we are seeing people -- it is . a place

without a future for our children. my goal is to bring all those venezuelans who have left back home. that is my goal and my commitment. in order to do that, we need to defeat nicolas maduro because people leave when they don't have a future. we represent the possibility of having a future with dignity and freedom in venezuela. this is a huge opportunity for all the region and certainly for all venezuelans come that we cannot let go. >> what would you propose is some of the first basic things that you would do to try to help the economy if maduro was to relinquish and you're able to come to office? oh, and we have a frozen screen, unfortunately. there we go. >> can you hear me now?

>> yes. i did hear it. >> what would the steps be with the economy to help relieve that situation? >> absolutely. rule of thumb. independent judiciary system. open markets. we need to bring investment. we need to turn venezuela into the energy hub of the americas. open our markets for private and national and international investment and trust. we need to create. employment, so that we can have a growing middle class that has opportunities. and this can be done. believe me. this can be done relatively fast, even though we have a huge and complex crisis in many layers. we know what we have to do. venezuela has a huge potential that can be developed. also,

the talent of those that have left but want to come back. >> thank you. maria corina, you were talking about maduro. sometimes people say, he is not really in control. he shares power with the cubans. you are talking about him. let's suppose that he decides because it is convenient for him and his family, to be part of this transition. but what about the other factions? how strong are they? who do we have two really negotiate with? has that changed? i don't know. you can explain more thoroughly. >> it is complex. there are different groups with different interests. certainly, we will not go into

the system of impunity, but as i said before, the great challenge here is to remove those pillars that support the regime and are willing to involve themselves in a democratic process in a democratic system. some of these negotiations have to be done progressively. some groups will dissolve in that process. this is something that will require -- this is important. it is political support. it takes credibility and trust from the venezuelan people to accept and support the result of a negotiation process such as the one i just described. >> i want to give the opportunity to representative

castro to say the final words, and then i'll do the same thing, if no other representative attends this hearing. >> i wanted to say, thank you for fighting for democracy in venezuela. i can't imagine the courage and the mettle it takes to stand up to stand up to someone like nicolas maduro, who has ruled venezuela now with an iron fist for quite some time, and to still organize and rally folks and push for democratic processes. thank you so much for doing that. what we hope for the venezuelan people is a process that allows them to elect the leader they choose in a democratic way with free and fair elections. and all of us, regardless of party here will keep pushing for that. so thank you so much.

>> thank you very much, representative castro. thank you for being here today. >> now, i'm going to give the floor to representative self. he has a couple more questions. >> just two points. first of all, i guess the way i would phrase this is you are saying all of the right things. you're taking the high road. you are discussing democracy. but if there is truly 80% that are against the regime, or thereabouts, who is going to lead the popular peaceful -- and i will just say peaceful -- uprising of the venezuelan people? and second, my second question is -- because it can't be you, i don't think. we'll see how it plays out. the second question, have you offered exiled to maduro? i recommend , whoever this person is, and maybe the united states can help you with this, to offer him exile. it often happens. it works.

so those are my two questions. >> that's interesting. your second question.certainly, some actors abroad could offer some of the members of the system a possibility to live safely abroad. but it is only us who can offer some of them the possibility of a future in venezuela. that requires a true and profound and, let's say, cautious negotiation. the terms, i believe i should not make public before hand. >> following those lines, what

can the united states do in a bipartisan fashion to help you? what can we do specifically as a country to further the fact that you need to run for president and give the opportunity to the venezuelans to go and have a moment of silence and vote with their conscience? what can this country do? joaquin castro is here. i'm here. both parties are united. how can we accomplish this goal? >> well, first of all, i want to say, yes, they are doing this. this is a huge step. i'm very grateful for all of you. we have to highlight the urgency and the importance of solving the venezuelan conflict, and the impact it will have on the rest of the region. imagine what a transition of

venezuela will mean for cuba and nicaragua. and what it will mean also for the united states. and this is something we need to highlight. and something very important. the regime has been effective in demoralizing us. in creating the narrative that they are unbeatable. that it is not possible to defeat them. this is not true. we have to show why. he has to comply with what he signed in the agreement. we need to get more and more and more actors involved in the private sector, in the financial sector, in the energy sector. and in civil society, because all interests are aligned with this solution for venezuela and for the region. so thank you very much. this

has been huge. i'm very grateful on behalf of the venezuelan people. >> we are delighted. now, i'm going to give the word to mario ballard. [ speaking in a non-english language ] you are the person who received the votes of the venezuelan people. people say that, you know, you are the leader of the opposition. i would respectfully disagree. you are the leader of the venezuelan people. every venezuelan that has the possibility to say what they believe and has been able to vote has asked you to represent them. and so, just know that we are aware of that, and we are also aware of the great personal risk that you are under. and i, for one, am very frustrated when i see an

administration in the united states that seems to be reluctant or slow to acknowledge just the reality. and the reality is you are the leader. you're the person who is the candidate for president. number one. number two is that, giving sanctions relief based on fake promises, and then even when those promises are broken, still not snapping back those sanctions is something that is unacceptable, but know that we are working on that. and what my colleague here said is so true. there is very strong bipartisan support for the people of venezuela, and you who are the one person they have said represents them, and to the last point, if they are so

unbeatable, if they really were unbeatable, you know what they would do? they would have free elections and show the people that. but the reality is that the people reject them. that is why they have to use intimidation and force. but just know that i am so proud of you. it is a privilege to consider yourself a person -- to have a chance to meet a number of times. just know that there is no confusion here. [ speaking in a non-english language ] [ speaking in a non- english language ] i have other responsibilities. thank you, madam chair. >> [ speaking in a non-english language ]

[ speaking in a non-english language ]

>> [ speaking in a non-english language ]

>> thank you to all the congresspeople that participated. [ speaking in a non-english language ]