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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she and opposition candidate Edmundo González are poised to lead the country after the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, now that “the hour of freedom has arrived.”
Machado said she and González are vying to “immediately” lead the transitional government in the South American country.
“Today we are prepared to enforce our mandate and take power,” Machado said in her first public comments Saturday.
“We are going to restore order, release the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home.”
The US recognized González as the country’s legitimate leader after he defeated Maduro by a more than 2-to-1 margin in the 2024 election. González ran in place of Machado after she was banned from running by the Maduro-run high court. Maduro ignored the election results and remained in power.
President Trump on Saturday said his administration was “making the decision” for who would govern Venezuela in the aftermath of Maduro’s capture.
“We can’t take a chance on letting somebody else run it just take over where he left,” Trump told Fox News in a call-in interview.
“So we’re making that decision now. We’ll be involved in it very much. And we want to do liberty for the people. We want to have a great relationship.”
Trump, however, has not ruled out appointing the country’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who assumes power under the Venezuelan Constitution, though he stopped short of throwing full support behind her, saying: “We’re going to have to look at it. I don’t know what kind of an election it was.”
Experts also agree that Machado and her movement are best poised for the takeover.
“They have the support of 70% of Venezuelans,” Jorge Jraissati, president of the Economic Inclusion Group, told Fox News Digital. “They would lead this transition period.”
Machado celebrated Maduro’s capture Saturday.
“The time has come for popular sovereignty and national sovereignty to govern our country. We will restore order, free the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home,” Machado wrote in a statement.
“We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening.”
Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her political advocacy, thanked the US for fulfilling its “promise to uphold the law.”
The opposition leader has been a strong ally of President Trump’s — most recently publicly lauding his recent seizure of a vessel transporting oil out of her home country as part of his plan to oust Maduro.
She even dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump after being named the 2025 winner in October.
nypost.com
Machado said she and González are vying to “immediately” lead the transitional government in the South American country.
“Today we are prepared to enforce our mandate and take power,” Machado said in her first public comments Saturday.
“We are going to restore order, release the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home.”
The US recognized González as the country’s legitimate leader after he defeated Maduro by a more than 2-to-1 margin in the 2024 election. González ran in place of Machado after she was banned from running by the Maduro-run high court. Maduro ignored the election results and remained in power.
President Trump on Saturday said his administration was “making the decision” for who would govern Venezuela in the aftermath of Maduro’s capture.
“We can’t take a chance on letting somebody else run it just take over where he left,” Trump told Fox News in a call-in interview.
“So we’re making that decision now. We’ll be involved in it very much. And we want to do liberty for the people. We want to have a great relationship.”
Trump, however, has not ruled out appointing the country’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who assumes power under the Venezuelan Constitution, though he stopped short of throwing full support behind her, saying: “We’re going to have to look at it. I don’t know what kind of an election it was.”
Experts also agree that Machado and her movement are best poised for the takeover.
“They have the support of 70% of Venezuelans,” Jorge Jraissati, president of the Economic Inclusion Group, told Fox News Digital. “They would lead this transition period.”
Machado celebrated Maduro’s capture Saturday.
“The time has come for popular sovereignty and national sovereignty to govern our country. We will restore order, free the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home,” Machado wrote in a statement.
“We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening.”
Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her political advocacy, thanked the US for fulfilling its “promise to uphold the law.”
The opposition leader has been a strong ally of President Trump’s — most recently publicly lauding his recent seizure of a vessel transporting oil out of her home country as part of his plan to oust Maduro.
She even dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump after being named the 2025 winner in October.
Venezuelan opposition leader, 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado poised to take the place of Nicolas Maduro
Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, a 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, appears poised to take the place of ousted President Nicolas Maduro.
nypost.com
