Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has said she should "absolutely" be in charge of the country, following the US ousting of President Nicolás Maduro last week.
"We are ready and willing to serve our people as we have been mandated," Machado said in an interview with the BBC's US partner CBS.
She thanked US President Donald Trump for his "leadership and courage" after US forces stormed Caracas and arrested Maduro, but said nobody trusted the deposed president's ally who has been appointed as interim leader.
Machado and her opposition movement claimed victory in 2024's heavily disputed elections, but Trump has refused to back her, saying she lacks popular support.
The former legislator, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, described US military action in Venezuela over the weekend as "a major step towards restoring prosperity and rule of law and democracy in Venezuela".
