CARACAS, January 3, 2026 — Venezuela is bracing for a dramatic shift in power after opposition leader María Corina Machado declared she is prepared to assume leadership following reported military actions by the United States and the announcement of criminal charges against President Nicolás Maduro. “We are prepared to exercise our mandate and take power,” Machado stated Saturday in a message shared on her social media channels.
Opposition Leader Vows to Take Power Amid U.S. Actions
Machado’s declaration comes after a period of escalating tensions and a U.S. military operation.
- María Corina Machado has asserted her readiness to lead Venezuela.
- The U.S. has announced charges against Nicolás Maduro related to narcoterrorism and corruption.
- Explosions were reported in several Venezuelan cities amid heightened tensions.
- The opposition initially responded with caution to the military incursion.
“We have fought for years, given everything, and it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening,” Machado affirmed, also sharing an audio recording of her statement. The 58-year-old opposition leader voiced support for the use of force by the White House, citing Maduro’s refusal to engage in negotiations for a peaceful transition of power. She added that the Trump administration “has fulfilled its promise to uphold the law,” and that Maduro “now faces international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and citizens of many other nations.”
Machado, a prominent figure in the opposition movement, emphasized that the country is at a “decisive moment.” “We will restore order, release political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children home,” she promised, adding that further details regarding her movement’s next steps will be shared on her official social media profiles.
The opposition initially adopted a cautious stance in the hours following the military operation, which represents the largest U.S. intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama. Amidst this silence, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares spoke with opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia regarding the situation in Venezuela and its “possible evolution,” according to official sources. González Urrutia stated, “We are ready for the major operation of rebuilding our nation.”
The Maduro government has condemned the reported explosions as a “grave military aggression” by the United States, following months of escalating tensions sparked by a U.S. military deployment off Venezuela’s coast in September. “The attempt to impose a colonial war to destroy the republican form of government and force a ‘regime change,’ in alliance with the fascist oligarchy, will fail as all previous attempts have,” a statement from the Maduro administration declared.
President Trump indicated a willingness to consider Machado’s leadership, while also noting the presence of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez within the current government. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Maduro will face “the wrath of American justice, in an American court” on charges of narcoterrorism and corruption. The Maduro government asserted it is prepared to defend itself against the U.S. offensive, reporting two hours of bombardments in Caracas and the states of La Guaira, Aragua, and Miranda. “The entire country must mobilize to defeat this imperialist aggression,” the government stated.
Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October, left Venezuela in December to attend the celebrations in Oslo. She had been in hiding for over a year due to security concerns and had not left the country in 14 years. The opposition leader remained largely out of public view during her visit to the Norwegian capital and has not disclosed her current location for security reasons, though she has repeatedly expressed her intention to return to Venezuela.
Initially, Machado had expressed support for the actions taken by Washington to pressure the Maduro regime, but she moderated her statements regarding the U.S. deployment in the Caribbean, particularly after receiving the Nobel Prize. During a press conference on December 11, shortly after arriving in Oslo, Machado avoided directly addressing whether she would support a military intervention against the Maduro government, while still openly supporting the White House’s efforts to increase pressure on Caracas.
“The actions of President Trump have been decisive in bringing us to the point where we are now, where the regime is weaker than ever,” Machado stated. She also confirmed receiving assistance from Washington to leave Venezuela and travel to Oslo, but insisted she had no involvement in the U.S. military and naval operations near Venezuelan territory, stating she would not “speculate” or comment on Washington’s national security operations.
In a New Year’s message, Machado and González Urrutia predicted that 2026 would be the year of freedom in Venezuela. “We are reaching the end of a decisive year, which has not been easy, but has marked a before and after in our contemporary history,” González Urrutia commented from his exile in Madrid, where he has resided since September 2024, shortly after the July 28 elections. Those elections, according to publicly released vote tallies not recognized by the Maduro regime, favored the opposition candidacy led by González Urrutia, who is recognized as the legitimate president of Venezuela by around ten countries.
Machado echoed this sentiment in her New Year’s address, stating that her movement was “close to achieving what we have always dreamed of.” “Maduro will leave with or without negotiation,” she affirmed during a meeting with international journalists in Oslo on December 12. “The transition is irreversible,” she concluded. “The hour of freedom has arrived.”
