Machado Vows End To Maduro Rule After Nobel Win

In a dramatic week for Venezuelan politics, opposition leader María Corina Machado emerged from months in hiding to publicly vow that President Nicolás Maduro's rule will soon come to an end—whether through negotiation or not. Speaking at a press conference in Oslo, Norway, on December 12, 2025, Machado declared, "Maduro will leave power, whether it is negotiated or not negotiated. I am focused on an orderly and peaceful transition," according to reporting from EPA and CBS News. The statement marked her second public appearance in over a year, capping off a whirlwind series of events that have reignited international attention on Venezuela’s fraught political crisis.

Machado’s appearance in Oslo was more than symbolic. Just a day earlier, on December 11, her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. The award recognized Machado’s "tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy," as noted by the Nobel committee. Due to the precarious political situation in Venezuela and a government-imposed travel ban, Machado herself was unable to attend the ceremony, underscoring the risks she continues to face.

Machado’s journey to Oslo was shrouded in secrecy. When asked whether the Venezuelan government had been aware of her whereabouts since she went into hiding in January 2025, Machado told reporters, "I don't think they have known where I have been, and certainly they would have done everything to stop me from coming here." She credited her successful escape to the "men and women that risked their lives so that I could be here today" and acknowledged help from the U.S. government. Flight data reviewed by the Associated Press showed that her plane to Oslo departed from Bangor, Maine—a detail that hints at the international coordination behind her safe passage.

The backdrop to Machado’s reemergence is a Venezuela in deep crisis. The Maduro administration, long accused of authoritarianism and human rights abuses, faces mounting pressure from both domestic opposition and the international community. The Trump administration, in particular, has ramped up its campaign against Maduro, increasing military presence in the Caribbean and conducting more than 80 strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats, as reported by CBS News and the Associated Press. While the White House maintains these actions are intended to stem the flow of narcotics into the United States, critics—including Maduro himself—argue that they are thinly veiled attempts to force regime change and open Venezuela’s vast oil reserves to Western interests.

Machado, 58, has not shied away from aligning herself with the Trump administration and its Venezuela hawks. Speaking to reporters in Oslo, she praised the recent U.S. seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker as "decisive" in weakening Maduro’s grip on power. "The actions of President Donald Trump have been decisive to reach where we are now, where the regime is significantly weaker," she said. "Because before, the regime thought it had impunity ... Now they start to understand that this is serious, and that the world is watching."

Despite her gratitude for international pressure, Machado has been circumspect about the prospect of outright U.S. military intervention. When pressed by journalists, she sidestepped calls for direct action, stating, "We are not involved, and we will not get involved into another nation's policy for their own national security." Still, she left the door open to increased pressure, telling CBS News: "I will welcome more and more pressure so that Maduro understands that he has to go, that his time is over." She argued that Venezuela’s situation is distinct from other cases of regime change, emphasizing, "We had an election. Regime change was already mandated by over 70% of the population, and what we need is support to enforce that decision."

Machado’s political journey has been fraught with obstacles. After winning an opposition primary, she was barred from running in last year’s presidential election—a move widely condemned as undemocratic. The opposition maintains that her replacement, Edmond Gonzalez, won the July 2024 polls in a landslide, a claim later supported by a group of independent election experts. Maduro, however, continues to assert his victory, deepening the political impasse.

The risks for Machado and her supporters are real. She had been in hiding since January 9, 2025, after being briefly detained during a protest in Caracas. Her return to the public eye was met with emotion; supporters in Oslo cheered as she waved from a hotel balcony, a rare moment of hope for those longing for democratic change. Machado told reporters she would return to Venezuela "when we believe the security conditions are right, and it won't depend on whether or not the regime leaves." Her resolve was clear: "What we're fighting for is precisely freedom in order to have democracy, and democracy in order to have peace."

International actors are watching closely. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who met with Machado, stated that Norway is ready to support a democratic Venezuela in "building new and sound institutions." Meanwhile, the Trump administration appears unlikely to ease its pressure campaign. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt would not rule out further seizures of sanctioned vessels off Venezuela’s coast, and new sanctions were announced against Maduro’s nephews and several shipping vessels accused of transporting oil.

The situation remains volatile within Venezuela’s powerful military, a key pillar of Maduro’s regime. Machado expressed confidence that the armed forces would ultimately support a transition, saying, "I have confidence that the immense majority of the Venezuelan armed forces and the police are going, in the instant that the transition begins, to obey orders, guidelines, instructions from the superiors who will be designated by the civil authority duly elected by Venezuelans." However, experts caution that the path forward is anything but straightforward. Francesca Emanuele, a senior policy associate for Latin America at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, warned that the military’s deep entanglement in corruption and patronage networks means many officials may be reluctant to switch allegiances without guarantees of amnesty. "The military won’t want to leave the government of Maduro if they don’t have amnesties, if there is no negotiation, so we [could] see a very horrible, devastating conflict in Venezuela that would spread in the region," Emanuele told the Associated Press.

Amid these tensions, there was a shake-up in U.S. military leadership in the region. Admiral Alvin Holsey, who led U.S. military forces in Latin America, stepped down on December 12, 2025, reportedly due to frustrations within the Pentagon over the aggressive strategy in the Caribbean. Air Force Lieutenant General Evan Pettus has temporarily assumed command, but the long-term implications for U.S. policy remain unclear.

As Machado prepares for her eventual return to Venezuela and the world debates the wisdom and risks of further intervention, the stakes could hardly be higher. The coming months may well determine whether Venezuela can achieve the peaceful, democratic transition that so many—including a Nobel laureate in exile—still dream is possible.