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Venezuela Opposition Leader Machado Vows Return Amid US-Led Transition
Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado pledges to return home, hails Trump for toppling Maduro, and says her movement is ready to win free elections. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez remains in power, sparking uncertainty.
ND
by News Desk
2026-01-06
Venezuela Opposition Leader Machado Vows Return Amid US-Led Transition

Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has vowed to return to her country as soon as possible, praising U.S. President Donald Trump for the recent capture of Nicolás Maduro and declaring her movement ready to win a free election.

Machado, 58, an industrial engineer and mother of three, escaped Venezuela in October disguised to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which she dedicated to Trump. In a Fox News interview, she said, “We believe that this transition should move forward. In free and fair elections, we will win over 90% of the votes.”

Despite Machado’s optimism, Trump appears focused on working with interim President Delcy Rodriguez and other senior Maduro officials to maintain stability, disappointing the opposition and leaving the country in uncertainty. Rodriguez, a loyalist of Maduro, was sworn in as Venezuela’s first female head of state and has called for cooperation with Washington.

Machado condemned Rodriguez as a key architect of “torture, persecution, corruption, and narco-trafficking” and criticized her ties to Russia, China, and Iran. She also demanded the immediate release of nearly 900 political prisoners held by Maduro’s government.

The situation comes after Trump’s forces captured Maduro over the weekend in the U.S., marking the most significant American intervention in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion. Maduro, 63, pleaded not guilty to narcotics trafficking charges in Manhattan, maintaining he is still Venezuela’s president and denying involvement in a cocaine network.

Venezuela’s oil sector, home to the world’s largest reserves at roughly 303 billion barrels, has long suffered from mismanagement, underinvestment, and U.S. sanctions. Trump has announced plans to revive the country’s oil industry with private sector support and floated military options in Colombia and Mexico, sparking global concern.

International reaction has been swift. Russia, China, and Venezuela’s leftist allies condemned the U.S.-led operation, while the U.N. human rights office warned it sets a dangerous precedent. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said, “Intervention has never brought democracy, well-being, or lasting stability.”

Machado remains a central figure for Venezuela’s opposition. “January 3rd will go down in history as the day justice defeated a tyranny,” she said, calling for a democratic transition and welcoming international investment. With Maduro detained and Rodriguez in a precarious position, Venezuela faces an uncertain path forward, balancing the promise of elections with the realities of occupation and intervention.
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