Maria Corina Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is poised to become the next president of Venezuela, following the capture of Nicolas Maduro by U.S. authorities.

In the wake of this significant development, prominent opposition figures Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo González are anticipated to be at the forefront of Venezuela’s leadership, according to insights from a Caracas expert.

Jorge Jraissati, the President of the Economic Inclusion Group, conveyed to Fox News Digital that Machado and González are expected to helm a transitional government in Venezuela. “They hold the backing of 70 percent of Venezuelans and are set to lead this transitional phase,” he explained.

Jraissati expressed confidence in Machado’s abilities, affirming that she possesses both the capability and integrity required to guide the nation through the upheaval caused by the removal of its authoritarian predecessor.

Jraissati believes Machado has ‘the capacity and integrity’ to lead the country as it copes with the shock of its authoritarian former leader being removed from power. 

‘[The] key will be her ability to surround herself with young and capable Venezuelans instead of career politicians,’ he told the outlet.

The US recognized González as Venezuela’s leader, after he won the election in a landslide by more than a two-to-one margin in the 2024 election.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado attends a press conference with the President of Norway’s Parliament Storting (unseen) on December 11, 2025 at the Storting in Oslo

People take part in a parade celebrating Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado receiving the Nobel Peace Prize

President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores hold hands and pose for photos after the swear-in ceremony at Palacio Federal Legislativo

After Maduro’s court banned Machado from running, González became the opposition candidate, but Maduro ignored the election outcome.

Though she has not commented on the president’s capture, just last month she backed Donald Trump’s tough stance on her country, claiming it has been turned into ‘the criminal hub of the Americas’ under Maduro’s rule.

Machado urged the world to keep pressure on the authoritarian regime.

At a press conference in Oslo, Machado was asked if she would support a US invasion of Venezuela.

She said: ‘Venezuela has already been invaded. We have the Russian agents, we have the Iranian agents, we have terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, operating freely in accordance with the regime.

‘We have the Colombian guerilla, the drug cartels that have taken over 60 percent of our populations and not only involving drug trafficking, but in human trafficking, in networks of prostitution’ she added.

‘This has turned Venezuela into the criminal hub of the Americas. And what sustains the regime is a very powerful and strongly funded repression system.

‘Where do those funds come from? Well, from drug trafficking, from the black market of oil, from arms trafficking and from human trafficking.’

Without naming Trump directly, Machado said: ‘We ask the international community to cut those sources.’

Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in October for her work as a prominent opponent of the authoritarian government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. 

Currently, Venezuelan Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez is leading the government. 

Maduro has been labeled a leftist radical with close ties to the Cuban government,  and has been in power since April 2013.

His presidency has been plagued by various social and economic crises that have driven millions into poverty and forced over eight million Venezuelans to migrate.

Economic crashes caused inflation and led to shortages of medicine and food, leaving families starved, sick, and fighting over necessities.

Maduro also eliminated his potential government opponents by imprisoning them, leaving them to be tortured.

As Venezuelans protested in the streets against his rule, strict military forces caused over 100 deaths and thousands of injuries. 

The International Criminal Court opened an investigation because of this, and it was still ongoing in 2025.

As a result, the country has been left facing one of the largest displacement crises in the world, according to the United Nations. 

So while Maduro’s capture sent shockwaves around the world, jubilant Venezuelans spilled out onto the streets today to welcome the news with singing and dancing. 

Machado leads the Vente Venezuela opposition party, a liberal and center-right political party.

Her campaign has focused on a government transition to democracy, and she has been in hiding for nearly a year after being forced out of last year’s presidential race.