On October 11, 2025, Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, the embattled Venezuelan opposition leader, broke her silence from hiding to paint a stark portrait of her country’s unraveling. Speaking to BERITAJA’s Weekend Edition Sunday, Machado declared Venezuela to be in “profound, total chaos” under the continued rule of President Nicolás Maduro—a regime she flatly labeled illegitimate, corrupt, and criminal.
Machado’s interview, delivered from an undisclosed location within Venezuela’s borders, comes at a moment of deepening crisis for the oil-rich nation. The July 28, 2024 presidential election, which many international observers and governments have called controversial and closely watched, was supposed to be a turning point. Instead, Machado asserts it only solidified the chaos. “Regime change was already mandated by the Venezuelan people on July 28, 2024,” she told BERITAJA’s Ayesha Rascoe. “The narrative of the regime right now is that if Maduro goes, chaos will come to Venezuela. That’s absolutely false. Venezuela is in profound, total chaos right now.”
Machado, a former legislator and long-time critic of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), has faced relentless persecution. Having been barred from running for office, targeted by prosecutors, and now forced into hiding, she’s become a symbol of the opposition’s struggle. Despite these hurdles, she threw her support behind Edmundo González, the opposition candidate, in the most recent election, hoping to steer Venezuela out of its political and economic tailspin.
Her claims are bold. Machado insists that the opposition won “by a landslide” and that “over 85% of the original tally sheets” prove it. “The whole world knows that. Even Maduro’s friends know that he was defeated,” she said. This sentiment is not isolated. According to BERITAJA, several Latin American countries and the United States have concurred that Maduro manipulated the electoral system to maintain his grip on power, despite mounting domestic and international pressure for change.
The backdrop to this political drama is a Venezuela battered by economic collapse, rampant corruption, and a harsh crackdown on free speech. Once one of South America’s wealthiest countries, Venezuela’s descent has been precipitous. Under Maduro’s stewardship—he succeeded PSUV founder Hugo Chávez in 2013—the country has seen its currency devalued to near worthlessness, its public services crumble, and more than one-fifth of its population forced to flee in search of stability and opportunity elsewhere. “People that are in prison right now are tortured, persecuted and killed,” Machado asserted. “We need to end this because it is a matter of saving lives and the regime has to understand that impunity is over.”
Internationally, the stakes are growing. The Trump administration, during its tenure, accused Maduro of leading a drug cartel and orchestrated deadly strikes on boats suspected of carrying narcotics. The U.S. State Department has put a $50 million reward on Maduro’s head, seeking information that could lead to his arrest. Machado did not shy away from these accusations, echoing them and expanding further. In her words, “They are destabilizing, intentionally, the region and undermining the institutions in the United States, because they have turned Venezuela into the safe haven of the enemies of the United States – Iran, China, Russia, Hezbollah, Hamas, and others. So, this is a war that was declared by Maduro, not us.”
Her rhetoric is uncompromising, casting the Maduro government not just as a national menace, but as a global one. The allegation that Venezuela has become a “safe haven” for groups hostile to the U.S. is a charge that has circulated in diplomatic circles for years, but Machado’s directness adds urgency to the claim. She stressed, “You cannot have peace without freedom, and you cannot have freedom without strength. When you are facing a criminal structure, they have used violence, all the resources of the Venezuelan people against innocent people.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Machado declined to speculate on the possibility of U.S. military intervention in Venezuela. When asked if she would support such action to see Maduro deposed, she demurred on predicting whether President Trump—or any U.S. leader—would authorize it. Still, she was clear in her praise for Trump, describing him as a “valuable ally” in recognizing the threat posed by Maduro. “I dedicated [the Nobel Peace Prize] to the people of Venezuela and President Trump because I think it’s the right thing to do,” she explained. “I think it is fair, not only for what he has been doing in the past months to solve long and painful conflicts around the world, but precisely for what he’s doing right now for the Americas.”
Machado’s dedication of her Nobel Peace Prize to both the Venezuelan people and President Trump was a calculated move, intended to signal her gratitude for international support while also hoping to inspire more direct action. She made no secret of her ambition: with Maduro gone, she envisions a domino effect that could see the end of other repressive regimes in the region. “If and when Maduro is ousted, I hope to see the fall of other repressive regimes in Cuba and Nicaragua as well,” she said.
Her remarks have resonated with both her supporters and international observers who see Venezuela’s crisis as a litmus test for the resilience of democracy in Latin America. The country’s political opposition, battered but not broken, continues to push for free and fair elections, an end to persecution, and the restoration of basic rights. Meanwhile, Maduro’s government maintains its hold through a combination of patronage, military support, and, as critics allege, outright repression and electoral manipulation.
The road ahead is fraught with uncertainty. Machado’s continued presence inside Venezuela, even in hiding, is a testament to her resolve and the risks faced by those who oppose the regime. The international community remains divided on how best to support democratic change without further destabilizing the region. For ordinary Venezuelans, the daily realities of economic hardship, political fear, and family separation persist—reminders that the battle for the country’s future is far from over.
As Machado concluded in her interview, “This is a matter of saving lives and the regime has to understand that impunity is over.” Her words, echoed by many in the opposition, signal a determination that, despite the odds, Venezuela’s fight for democracy and dignity continues.