Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Saturday said that the United States “fulfilled its promise to enforce the law” after Nicolas Maduro refused “a negotiated solution”.
Machado’s statement comes after US President Donald Trump announced his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, has been “captured” amid Washington’s military action in Caracas. The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner said that Maduro will face “international justice for the heinous crimes committed against Venezuelans”.
“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.
Machado called for Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition figure who had lost the 2024 presidential election, which many countries and the Venezuelan opposition accused Maduro of rigging, to “assume his constitutional mandate”
{{/usCountry}}Machado called for Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition figure who had lost the 2024 presidential election, which many countries and the Venezuelan opposition accused Maduro of rigging, to “assume his constitutional mandate”
{{/usCountry}}“We have fought for years, we have given our all, and it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening. This is the moment for the people. Those of us who risked everything for democracy on July 28. Those of us who elected Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate President of Venezuela, who must immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognised as Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces by all the officers and soldiers who comprise it,” Machado's statement added.
Maria Corina Machado said that Venezuelan citizens need to remain vigilant, active, and organised until the democratic transition is complete.
“To Venezuelans within our country, be ready to implement what we will soon communicate to you through our official channels. We need Venezuelans abroad to mobilise, activating governments and citizens around the world and committing them now to the great task of building a new Venezuela. In these decisive hours, please accept all my strength, my confidence, and my affection. Let us all remain alert and in contact. VENEZUELA WILL BE FREE!” she further said.