Maria Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner and Venezuela's most prominent opposition leader, has emerged as the front-runner to lead her nation following the dramatic capture of President Nicolas Maduro by US forces on Saturday. The 58-year-old industrial engineer, who has spent over two decades fighting authoritarianism in Venezuela, commands the support of approximately 70% of Venezuelans, according to experts.
Following Maduro's capture, Machado issued her first public statement declaring that she and opposition candidate Edmundo González are prepared to 'immediately' lead a transitional government in the South American nation. 'Today we are prepared to enforce our mandate and take power,' she stated, adding: 'We are going to restore order, release the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home.'
