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Where is Venezuela oppn leader Maria Corina Machado? Nobel winner in focus after US takes out Nicolas Maduro
Maria Corina Machado became the global face of the Venezuelan opposition after winning the Nobel Peace Prize 2025, which was also sought by Donald Trump
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, is back in focus after US President Donald Trump said the South American country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been “captured” amid large-scale strikes by Washington.
Machado became the global face of the Venezuelan opposition after bagging the Nobel Peace Prize, which was also sought by Trump. However, she has been supportive of the Republican leader's actions pertaining to her country. She has even called for military intervention to end the Communist rule in the Latin American country.
Where is Maria Corina Machado?
Maria Corina Machado is most likely in Oslo, Norway, where she had travelled to collect her Nobel Peace Prize last month. It was her first public appearance after spending over a year in hiding in Venezuela.
The rescue operation to get Machado out of Venezuela involved disguises, two boats through choppy seas and a flight, the man who says he led it told the BBC.
Bryan Stern, a US special forces veteran and founder of the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation, told the outlet that the journey, dubbed Operation Golden Dynamite, was cold, wet and long. But, he said, the "formidable" Machado didn't complain once "The seas are very rough. It's pitch black. We're using flashlights to communicate. This is very scary; lots of things can go wrong."
Machado arrived safely in Oslo to collect her Nobel Peace Prize just before midnight on December 10.
What has the Venezuelan opposition leader said about Donald Trump’s actions in her country?
Maria Corina Machado on Saturday said that the United States “fulfilled its promise to enforce the law” after Nicolas Maduro refused “a negotiated solution”.
“It's TIME FOR FREEDOM! Venezuelans, starting today, Nicolás Maduro faces international justice for the heinous crimes committed against Venezuelans and citizens of many other nations. Given his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the United States government has fulfilled its promise to enforce the law. The time has come for popular sovereignty and national sovereignty to rule in our country. We are going to bring order, free political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home,” Machado said in a statement in Spanish published on X.
In the past, she has said that she's "absolutely" supportive of the Trump's aggressive strategy against the Maduro regime.
"We, the Venezuelan people, are very grateful to him and to his administration, because I believe he is a champion of freedom in this hemisphere," Machado said about Trump on CBS News in December.
This came amid the US military buildup in the Caribbean and strikes on alleged drug boats, along with a blockade on tankers carrying Venezuelan oil.
She had also urged Trump to intervene in Venezuela after her announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize.
But Maduro’s capture may not be enough for Machado to come to power. R Viswanathan, a retired Indian diplomat who served as India’s Ambassador to Venezuela from 2000 to 2003, told The Week news magazine that Nicolas Maduro “is a puppet being handled by a bigger group".
“Even his death cannot ensure María Corina Machado getting to lead the country. Caracas’ powerful men will fight to the death before letting a pro-US government take charge,” he told the news outlet.
Nicolas Maduro’s journey
Beginning his working life as a bus driver, Maduro rose to become a trade union leader before being elected to the National Assembly in 2000. A member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), he was appointed to several positions under President Hugo Chavez, including President of the National Assembly from 2005 to 2006, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2012, and Vice President from 2012 to 2013.
After Chavez's death was announced on March 5, 2013, Maduro succeeded him as President of Venezuela. He was declared the winner of a special presidential election in April 2013, with 50.62% of the vote as the candidate of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. He has ruled Venezuela by decree since 2015, exercising powers granted to him by the legislature of the ruling party.
