María Corina Machado

Machado was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on 7 October 1967. The eldest of four daughters, Machado's great-great-grandfather was Eduardo Blanco, who wrote Venezuela Heroica in 1881. Her great-uncle Armando Zuloaga Blanco was killed in the 1929 failed uprising against the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez. She was also part of Young Global Leaders in 2005, and again in 2011. == Súmate ==

welcomes Machado to the Oval Office on 31 May 2005. The founding of the volunteer civil organization Súmate resulted from a hurried encounter between Machado and Alejandro Plaz in a hotel lobby in 2001, where they shared their concern about the course that was being shaped for Venezuela. Machado said: "Something clicked. I had this unsettling feeling that I could not stay at home and watch the country get polarized and collapse... We had to keep the electoral process but change the course, to give Venezuelans the chance to count ourselves, to dissipate tensions before they built up. It was a choice of ballots over bullets." Súmate led a petition drive for the 2004 Venezuelan recall referendum. After the referendum results showed that electors had voted no to recalling President Hugo Chávez, members of Súmate including Machado were charged with treason and conspiracy, under Article 132 of the Penal Code, for receiving financial support for their activities from the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Human Rights Watch acknowledged that Machado, Planz and other members of Súmate received financial support from NED but labelled the criminal charges as dubious and politically motivated. Machado acknowledged the support of Venezuelans for Chávez, saying, "We have to recognize the positive things that have been done", but that the president is "increasingly intolerant". She faced treason charges for signing the Carmona Decree during the 2002 Venezuelan coup attempt; she said she wrote her name on what she believed to be a sign-in sheet while she was visiting the presidential palace. ==2011 presidential candidacy==

In 2011, Machado launched her candidacy for the 2012 Venezuelan presidential election. The Los Angeles Times said that her name was raised as a potential candidate. According to the Financial Times, Machado was "dubbed the new face of the opposition ... Even President Hugo Chávez has spoken of confronting her in the 2012 presidential elections." According to the Associated Press, she "boldly interrupted" Chavez's speech to accuse him of theft. '''' reported that the "televised clash ... catapulted [her] into the public eye beyond the capital's borders", when she said to Chávez, "How can you talk about respecting the private sector in Venezuela when you've been dedicated to expropriation, which is stealing". According to El Pais, her family founded the national corporation Electricidad de Caracas, and the family steel companies (Sivensa and Sidetur) were "expropriated and destroyed by the Chavista administration"; Chávez had predicted Machado's defeat in their prior confrontation when he pointed out that she was trailing badly in polls for the opposition primary. == National Assembly ==

Candidacy on Latin America in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil In February 2010, Machado resigned from Súmate, and announced her candidacy for the National Assembly of Venezuela. She was a Justice First (Primero Justicia) party member of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mesa de la Unidad Democrática – MUD) in opposition to Chávez's party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela – PSUV). In announcing her candidacy, she said Venezuelans were good, decent, and free people who do not want to live with violence or hate; she promised to defend the right for Venezuelans to think freely and live without fear. In April 2010, Machado won the primary election. She campaigned actively in "slums once viewed as solid pro-Chávez territory", attempting to "capitalize on domestic problems, including widespread violent crime, power outages in some regions, a severe housing shortage and 30-percent inflation". Chávez was accused of breaking campaign laws by using state-run television to "berate rivals and praise friends" during the election campaign; he denied breaking the law, and suggested that the only director of the National Election Council's five directors who is not pro-Chávez and who raised the issue could be prosecuted for making the charges. Machado said: "While we are visiting voters, going from house to house, the ruling party's campaign is imposed through televised speeches." When the state-run television channel interviewed Machado, they ran images of her Oval Office meeting in 2005 with George W. Bush, described by an Associated Press reporter as "Chavez's longtime nemesis". she and fellow Justice First Miranda candidate Enrique Mendoza were the "two highest vote-getters nationwide". She added: "We now have the legitimacy of the citizen vote. We are the representatives of the people." She concluded: "It is very clear. Venezuela said no to Cuban-like communism." Removal On 21 March 2014, Machado appeared as an alternate envoy at the request of Panama at the Organization of American States (OAS), amid the protests in Venezuela, to speak about the situation in Venezuela. According to The Wall Street Journal, following her appearance at the OAS, "pro-Maduro parliamentarians, who dominate the National Assembly", alleged that her appearance at the OAS was prohibited by Venezuela's constitution, and removed her from the National Assembly. and said that her removal from the National Assembly was illegal. ==2014 protests and activism==

and María Corina Machado, presenting the La Salida initiative. Juan Guaidó is behind. , wife of Leopoldo López, at an opposition gathering Machado was among the leaders of the opposition demonstrations against Nicolás Maduro in the 2014 protests. The National Assembly requested a criminal investigation of Machado on 18 March 2014 for crimes including treason for her involvement in the anti-government protests. Machado responded to the accusations saying: "In a dictatorship, the weaker the regime is, the greater the repression." After her removal on 21 March 2014, Machado, along with supporters, began a march on 1 April 2014 toward downtown Caracas protesting against Machado's expulsion, where Machado attempted to return to her seat in the National Assembly. The National Guard confronted the protesters in the central square where they had gathered, blocking the group from proceeding towards the legislature and then dispersing them with tear gas. In May 2014, government official Jorge Rodríguez presented allegations of a plot by opposition politicians and officials, including Machado, to overthrow Maduro's government. The evidence provided by the Venezuelan government were alleged emails through Google that were addressed to others from both Machado and . Burelli responded that the emails were falsified by the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN), showing what he said were the original emails. In June 2014, Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz subpoenaed Machado along with Burelli, Diego Arria, and Ricardo Koesling. By 11 June 2014, arrest warrants were issued. Burelli hired Kivu, a U.S.-based cybersecurity company, to analyze the alleged emails. Kivu concluded that there was "no evidence of the existence of any emails between Pedro Burelli's Google email accounts and the alleged recipients", that the alleged emails presented by the Venezuelan government had "many indications of user manipulation" and that "Venezuelan officials used forged emails to accuse government adversaries of plotting to kill President Nicolas Maduro". In November 2014, government officials announced that Machado was to be formally charged on 3 December 2014. Machado and others stated that the accusations were false and were created by the government to deflect attention from the country's economic problems and polls showing Maduro's approval rating at a record low of 30%. ==Later political career==

On 1 February 2019, Machado announced she would run for president if Juan Guaidó were to call elections, owing to the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis. For the next Venezuelan presidential election, Machado was recognized as a front-running opposition candidate. In an interview discussing the election, Machado insisted that she was not interested in the opposition primary and said that "my goal is to get Maduro out and be able to defeat the regime using all the force". She argued: "There are only two options here ... We win with a huge majority or Maduro steals the election." According to head of the Delphos pollster Félix Seijas, "[t]he opposition as it existed is no longer, and that opens the door for her to capture support beyond her radical base", while explaining her expanded support. On 30 June 2023, she was disqualified from holding office for 15 years by the government due to her leadership in anti-government protests. Following the escalation of government pressure against opposition figures, Machado was barred from holding public office and subjected to restrictions on her movement. During the primaries, Machado positioned herself against the technical assistance of the National Electoral Council (CNE) in the election, alleging that CNE is part of a "criminal system". In the same way, she defended the return to manual voting. On 15 March 2023, she officially began her campaign tour of the country, in the state of Mérida. During her pre-campaign, Machado maintained criticism towards the traditional opposition leadership, mainly the Democratic Action, Justice First, A New Era, and Popular Will parties. She made it clear that she was willing to negotiate an exit from Chavismo to achieve a transition. On 30 June 2023, Machado was disqualified for fifteen years by the comptroller general of Venezuela after a request from the politician José Brito. The comptroller linked her to alleged crimes by Juan Guaidó and accused her of supporting sanctions during the Venezuelan crisis. Analysts determined that the accusation of having participated in the interim was incoherent, taking into account that she was not a member of the 2015 opposition National Assembly (being prevented by a disqualification from the Comptroller's Office), in addition to never having been appointed in any position in Guaidó's interim government. The United Nations, the Organization of American States, the European Union and numerous countries condemned Machado's disqualification. The European Parliament called the ban "arbitrary and politically fabricated", and the Associated Press noted that banning opposition politicians from elections was a frequent tactic used by the government. Machado's 15-year disqualification was confirmed by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice in January 2024. The court said the disqualification was "for being involved... in the corruption plot orchestrated by the usurper Juan Guaido", which had led to a "criminal blockade of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as well as the shameless dispossession of the companies and wealth of the Venezuelan people abroad, with the complicity of corrupt governments". Machado named Corina Yoris as her alternate. Yoris was unable to register as a candidate and Edmundo González Urrutia was chosen as her replacement. 2024 presidential election in 2024 Although Machado was not the presidential candidate in the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, she remained the leader of the opposition to Chavismo during the electoral process. The majority support that candidate Edmundo González received in various polls was due to the boost given to him by Machado's support. Regarding the role that Machado would play in a González Urrutia government, The Telegraph commented: "Should the opposition win, Ms Machado is widely expected to be the de facto leader of a government formally led by Mr González." The newspaper compared the massive popular movement around Machado with the rise of Hugo Chávez to the presidency in 1998, in terms of the "fervor" it generated in citizens, in a context of both political crisis and systemic decadence. The event, which was planned to be a caravan from Chacaíto to El Marqués, became a march with the attendance of dozens of thousands of people. The New York Times described Machado as "an energetic former legislator whose central message is the promise of bringing Venezuelans home by restoring democracy and getting the economy going again". Following the Venezuelan government's announcements of falsified election results, a national and international political crisis developed. On 1 August, Machado published a letter in The Wall Street Journal, stating that she had gone in to hiding "fearing for my life, my freedom, and that of my fellow countrymen from the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro"; in the letter, she laid out the evidence she said she had from the vote tallies supporting the opposition win, and stated that Maduro had expelled witnesses from the polls, while the witnesses "protected the voter receipts with their lives throughout the night" of the elections. On 9 January 2025, government forces attempted to arrest Machado after a rally in Chacao, Caracas, where she had reappeared publicly after three months in hiding. According to reports, government troops "violently intercepted" her vehicle and shot at the motorcycles carrying her. After Nicolás Maduro was detained by US forces on 3 January 2026, opposition leader Machado called for Edmundo González, whom the opposition claim had won the 2024 presidential election, to assume the presidency, to which he responded that he was "ready to rebuild our nation" and that the coming hours would be "decisive". After 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela Following the United States capture of Nicolás Maduro and Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assuming the interim presidency, several U.S. lawmakers have called for the Venezuelan opposition party to take power with Machado at the helm. U.S. president Donald Trump has been dismissive of Machado, while U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke favorably of her, but stated that, with the majority of Venezuela's opposition leaders currently absent from the country, it was too early for such a transition. On 12 January, Machado held an unscheduled meeting with Pope Leo XIV at Vatican City. According to a statement shared on Twitter by her party, Vente Venezuela, the discussion focused on seeking the pope’s assistance in advocating for the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela. Machado also met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. On January 15, 2026, Machado met privately with Trump and later with multiple U.S. senators. Machado has plans to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible. She said that "This has nothing to do with tension or relations between Delcy Rodriguez and myself," and discussed that the "criminal structure" that has dominated Venezuela for years would eventually dismantle itself. On 20 January 2026, she was received at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) to meet with general secretary Albert Ramdin. The OAS held a meeting to discuss the situation of the political prisoners in Venezuela. On 26 January, after a hearing on Venezuela on the US Senate, US secretary of state Marco Rubio met with Machado. She later said to reporters that a change in Venezuela was coming. In an interview of NBC, Delcy Rodríguez said about Machado that “She will have to answer to Venezuela why she called upon a military intervention, why she called upon sanctions to Venezuela, and why she celebrated the actions that took place at the beginning of January.” At Machado's request, she met for a second time with Donald Trump in the White House on 6 March to review plans for her trip to come back to Venezuela. In March 2026, Machado travelled to Chile for the inauguration of Chilean president José Antonio Kast and to meet other political leaders including King Felipe VI of Spain. Machado initiated a demonstration in Santiago of over 17000 people. She called for political change in Venezuela and promised to work toward conditions that would allow migrants to return home safely. Machado said her own return to Venezuela will occur later in coordination with allies. == Political views ==

Machado is anti-Chavismo, She has disagreed with the more politically moderate sections of the Venezuelan opposition who believed in change through the ballot box and criticized the interim government of Juan Guaidó. She has supported the international sanctions during the Venezuelan crisis, believing that Maduro could not be removed democratically. Despite this, she took part in the 2023 opposition primaries, which she won. When the opposition was divided, yet saying a move to the left was the way to defeat Chávez and Maduro, Machado disagreed; according to The Wall Street Journal, she gained a reputation as a fighter in taking her message to the poor in the barrios that Chavismo governments "had made their lives worse, with crime soaring, the economy tanking and their children facing a bleak future". In November 2005, in the context of an already "highly polarized country", The New York Times described Machado "as perhaps the most divisive figure after Mr. Chávez, a woman who is either beloved or reviled"; The Nobel Prize Committee described her as "a key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided". As the leader of Vente Venezuela, in July 2018, Machado articulated that "being rich is good" in the context of the wealth of a nation and policies to promote individual freedom, education, respect for the law, and open markets. She stated: "I want to promote a country of ... prosperous and independent citizens ... leav[ing] behind poverty ... A rich country values life and the environment, cares for its children, the elderly, and the sick ... Being rich is, without a doubt, very good." a description also used by United Press International in 2025. In June 2023, El País described her as radical in the sense of believing only military intervention could remove Maduro, and as coming from the most radical wing of the political right and the Venezuelan opposition, In March 2024, historian Steve Ellner described Machado as a "radical right-winger". Machado supports the privatization of state-run entities in Venezuela, including oil company PDVSA. The Maduro administration subsequently barred her from running. She became the main driving force for the main opposition candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, who was allowed to compete by the Maduro regime. In a 2024 interview, Machado talked of making education available for all Venezuelans and of reforming the country's judiciary. Machado has stated she admires, and has been compared to, the United Kingdom's Margaret Thatcher. Foreign policy Openly anti-communist, Machado is a signatory of the 2020 Madrid Charter. In February 2025, Machado addressed a Patriots for Europe rally in Madrid. Machado called Javier Milei's victory in the 2023 Argentine presidential election a triumph in the fight for "change" and "freedom" in Latin America, and said that their political projects shared a common thread in the "fundamental role of freedom" professed by Milei. Machado is also a supporter of U.S. president Donald Trump, whom she described in 2025 as a "visionary" in relation to his opposition to the Maduro government in Venezuela. Criticism of Machado has come from some Venezuelans who say she has not spoken forcefully against the deportation of Venezuelans under the second Trump administration. After he deployed the Navy to the Caribbean in 2025, Machado praised the Trump administration. One of her advisors told The New York Times that she has coordinated with the Trump administration and that she has a plan for the first hundred hours after Maduro is deposed. Mishal Husain asked Machado in October 2025 about Trump's statements about potential land strikes on Venezuelan targets; Machado replied that she believes "that the increase in pressure and the escalation that's taking place is the only way to force Maduro to understand that it's time to go" and for those supporting him to recognize that "this is the last change to facilitate a peaceful and orderly transition". According to The Hill, she "[places] blame for deaths from U.S. airstrikes squarely on the shoulders of ... Maduro". She added, "He [Maduro], and the rest of the drug cartels in power in Venezuela, should stop these activities in order to prevent more deaths." She thanked Israel for its support of Edmundo González as president-elect, and previously of Guaidó as acting president. Machado planned to reestablish diplomatic relations with Israel, which were cut by President Chávez in 2009 during the 2008–2009 Gaza war. The Prime Minister's Office also said that Machado generally supported Israel's actions and decisions during the Gaza war and the related Gaza offensive. In another post on X, she wrote that Venezuelans knew that achieving peace "requires immense courage, strength, and moral clarity to stand against the totalitarian forces that oppose us". Although Machado avoided mentioning Israel and Gaza, Israel presented her post as an endorsement of its Gaza offensive due to her calling out "the Iranian regime" as "a key supporter of the Maduro regime", which she said also "backs terrorist organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis". ==Target of violence==

According to The New York Times, Machado's supporters see her as "courageous for staying in Venezuela when many other politicians have fled". While attending the bicentennial celebration of Venezuela's Declaration of Independence on 5 July 2011, following controversial comments she had made earlier about Venezuela's dependence on Cuba and not being independent, Machado was attacked by protesters. The group of about 50 threw stones and bottles at her; injuring Machado and two others. The group attacked them with kicks, punches and objects while chanting "this is chavista territory and no opposition politician can come in". No disciplinary actions was taken against any of the attackers after the incident. At a rally on 16 November 2013 in support of the opposition party during municipal elections, Machado and other politicians were attacked by protesters, with stones and fireworks. The National Guard intervened to disperse the attack. The vehicle Machado was traveling in was heavily damaged, with the body and windows of the vehicle being struck with gun handles, sticks, and stones. Machado escaped and was then moved to the assembly place while colectivos followed breaking down the door where they then left the scene after confrontations with residents protecting Machado. == Awards and recognition ==

In May 2005, US President George W. Bush welcomed Machado to the Oval Office. After meeting with Machado and discussing Súmate's "efforts to safeguard the integrity and transparency of Venezuela's electoral process", a White House spokesperson said, "[t]he President expressed his concerns about efforts to harass and intimidate Súmate and its leadership". Machado was hailed by National Review in 2006 as "the best of womankind and the difficult times many women face around the globe" on a list of Women the World Should Know for International Women's Day. In 2009, Machado was chosen out of 900 applicants as one of 15 accepted to the Yale World Fellows Program. The Yale University program "aim[s] to build a global network of emerging leaders and to broaden international understanding worldwide". The Yale World Fellows Program press release said: "Machado devotes herself to defending democratic institutions and civil liberties through SUMATE, the nation's leading watchdog for electoral transparency." Machado later graduated from the program. In 2018, Machado was named one of the BBC's 100 Most Influential Women. In 2019, Machado received the Prize for Freedom from Liberal International. Machado was awarded the 2024 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize by the Council of Europe. Along with Edmundo González, she was awarded the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament on 24 October 2024 for "representing the people of Venezuela fighting to restore freedom and democracy." In 2026, Mayor Mario Desbordes granted Machado with the keys to the city of Santiago, Chile. Nobel Peace Prize The Inspira América Foundation, headed by Marcell Felipe, joined with the rectors of four U.S. universities on 16 August 2024 to promote the nomination of Machado for the Nobel Peace Prize, highlighting her "tireless fight for peace in Venezuela and the world" as "a fair recognition of a person who has dedicated almost her entire life to the fight for peace and the liberation" of Venezuela. On 26 August 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Senator Rick Scott and members of Congress Mario Díaz-Balart and María Elvira Salazar supported her nomination. On 10 October, Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize "for her 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". On X, Machado dedicated the prize to the "suffering people of Venezuela" and "President Trump for his decisive support of our cause." Departure from Venezuela and award ceremony Machado was prohibited from leaving Venezuela by a decade-old government-imposed travel ban and, by late 2025, had spent months in hiding amid the risk of arrest. Bound for the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Oslo, Norway, Machado left Venezuela in December 2025 through irregular routes in a covert operation. International media reported various versions of how she departed, altering her appearance and avoiding security checkpoints. Machado reportedly undertook a dangerous sea crossing to the Dutch island of Curaçao, a route frequently used by Venezuelan political exiles. her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the award on her mother's behalf and delivered her mother's acceptance speech. After reportedly transiting by plane through the United States, Machado arrived after the ceremony to make her first public appearance in nearly a year to receive the award. She later stated that she feared for her life during the journey, which observers described as exceptionally high-risk given her political profile and Venezuela's security conditions. Her representatives confirmed that she had fractured her back during the journey amid rough weather. The award generated controversy, and demonstrators and protestors argued that Machado was baiting warmongering that may be legitimizing "U.S. military intervention in violation of international law". She was asked in a press conference the day after the ceremony if she supported a United States invasion. She replied that "Venezuela has already been invaded", listing the presence of Russian and Iranian agents, Colombian drug groups, and Hamas and Hezbollah "operating freely in accordance with the regime", turning "Venezuela into the criminal hub of the Americas". She said that "what sustains the regime" is funding "from drug trafficking, from the black market of oil, from arms trafficking, and from human trafficking. We need to cut those flows." Nobel medal aftermath In January 2026, Machado offered her prize to the President of the United States Donald Trump for the military intervention in Venezuela. The Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute responded that the prize cannot be transferred. On 15 January, Machado presented her medal to Trump during a private meeting at the White House in appreciation for deposing Venezuela's repressive leader, Nicolás Maduro, in a U.S. military raid on 3 January. The Nobel Committee has reiterated that while ownership of the physical award can change, the title does not; therefore Trump is not listed as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Trump confirmed he would keep the medal, writing in Truth Social "Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!" Speaking to reporters, Machado compared the handover of her medal to Marquis de Lafayette handing over a gold medallion with the face of George Washington to Venezuelan independence hero Simón Bolívar in 1825, as a "a sign of the brotherhood between the people of the US and the people of Venezuela in their fight for freedom against tyranny." It is the second time that a Nobel Medal has been given away for political reasons. The only other instance occurred in 1943 when Norwegian author Knut Hamsun gifted his medal to Joseph Goebbels. == Publications ==

"Freedom Manifesto" column The editorial board of The Washington Post said it was the first to review on 18 November 2025 a pre-publication of a "Freedom Manifesto" written by Machado, describing it as "a precursor to a new Constitution" that will lead to "a truly democratic Venezuela". They applauded the manifesto as "thoughtful and important", saying Machado "argues that the freedoms of speech and assembly, as well the right to vote securely and without any form of manipulation, must be inviolable", along with a fundamental right "to protect property ownership", adding that she "directly links political freedom with economic prosperity" with proposals to privatize state-owned institutions. The editorial board stated the "document outlin[ed] a democratic and pluralistic future for Venezuela" in which she "describes a path forward for the country rooted in the rule of law and respect for liberty in all facets of life". CNN stated that the manifesto "lays out the democratic pillars [Machado] says all Venezuelans are entitled to", adding that the document mimics "language from other democratic frameworks, such as the U.S. Declaration of Independence" and "calls for decentralizing power from the government and restoring it to the public". David Smilde, described by CNN as "a Venezuela expert at Tulane University" told CNN the manifesto was a "proto-constitution", probably meant to "assure supporters she has a plan for the country if Maduro eventually steps down", and stated that "Machado didn't mention whether she would suspend the current constitution, impose a new one, or call a constitutional assembly." ==Personal life==

Machado is divorced and has three children; she has stated that her children live abroad due to alleged death threats at home. She is a Catholic. ==Notes==