With long-time Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro out of power, attention is turning to who might guide the country through a transition to new leadership.”Venezuelans, the hour of freedom has arrived,” she wrote on X after Maduro’s capture, urging the military there to support the opposition.
Among the names rising to the forefront is María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, widely seen by analysts as the central figure in efforts to rebuild democratic governance in the country.
According to Caracas expert Jorge Jraissati, Machado and fellow opposition politician Edmundo González are now considered the most likely candidates to lead a transitional government in Venezuela, Fox News reported.
Jraissati noted that polling shows that the pair have broad backing among Venezuelans, roughly 70%.
González, who the United States recognized as Venezuela’s legitimate leader following widely disputed 2024 elections, previously succeeded Machado on the ticket after she was barred from running by the Maduro-aligned judiciary.
Maduro declared victory in 2024 despite opposition leaders claiming Gonzalez earned more votes, citing exit polls.
Trump said on Saturday that he doesn’t think Machado will be the next leader.
“I think it’d be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman but she doesn’t have the respect,” he said.
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