Machado also said she wants to personally give US President Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize she received in 2025.
The fall of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro following a US military operation has opened a volatile phase in the country, with its leading opposition figure, Maria Corina Machado, vowing to return soon and push for elections, declaring her movement ready to win decisively.
"I'm planning to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible," Machado, 58, said in an interview with Fox News' Hannity program. Positioning herself as a central figure in Venezuela’s political transition, Machado, however, did not disclose her current location or provide details on when or how she would return.
"We believe that this transition should move forward," the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner said. "In free and fair elections, we will win over 90 per cent of the votes."
Machado fled Venezuela in October after facing legal pressure at home. She remains under investigation by authorities for allegedly inciting military insurrection. Her remarks come as uncertainty grips the country, with key levers of power still controlled by loyalists of the ruling Socialist Party.
While US President Donald Trump has indicated he may work with Rodriguez and other senior officials to ensure stability, Delcy Rodriguez, a close ally of Maduro, was formally sworn in on January 5 as Venezuela's Interim President.
Rodriguez rejected US claims that Washington was overseeing Venezuela’s transition. “The government of Venezuela is in charge of our country, and no one else,” she said. “There is no foreign agent governing Venezuela.”
75 killed in US military strikesThe US government assesses that about 75 people were killed during last weekend's military raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, including dozens who died in a gun battle at his compound in Caracas, according to officials familiar with the matter. One official said at least 67 people were killed, while another estimated the toll at between 75 and 80, The Washington Post reported. The Venezuelan government said US forces killed 55 Venezuelan and Cuban military personnel during the dramatic raid. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez declared seven days of mourning for soldiers killed in a US military operation. |
