USA Nobel Peace Prize winner Machado wants to become Venezuela's president
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado wants to become president of the South American country.
16.01.2026, 17:11
SDA
"I want to serve my country where I am most useful," said the 58-year-old in an interview on US television station Fox News. "I believe I will be elected president of Venezuela when the time is right."
Following the seizure of the authoritarian head of state Nicolás Maduro by US elite soldiers almost two weeks ago, Machado had initially called for the appointment of opposition politician Edmundo González Urrutia as his successor.
According to the opposition and international observers, the 76-year-old former diplomat had actually won the 2024 presidential election.
Machado is the strong woman of the Venezuelan opposition
Despite the allegations of fraud, Maduro was sworn in for a third term and González went into exile in Spain.
Even then, the driving force behind his campaign was the much more popular Machado, who was not allowed to stand for election due to alleged irregularities.
Trump has doubts about Machado's support in Venezuela
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump appears to be backing continuity in Venezuela and described the new caretaker president Delcy Rodríguez - a close confidante of Maduro - as a great person.
Machado lacks the support and respect in Venezuela to lead the country, he said shortly after the US attack on Caracas.
On Friday, Machado visited Trump at the White House and presented him with her Nobel Prize medal with a dedication recognizing the US President's commitment to Venezuela's freedom.
At the same time, the US government reaffirmed that it stood by its assessment of Machado's lack of support in Venezuela.
