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Venezuela’s opposition leader on Trump, Maduro, and why the ballot box isn’t the answer this time
This Sunday, Venezuelans will go to the polls in the first nationwide elections since the contested presidential election last July.
But unlike that election, which by all independent accounts President Nicolás Maduro stole, the country’s embattled opposition has decided this time not to participate at all.
Ahead of the vote – which is for local, regional, and legislative positions – I sat down with opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has been in hiding amid a fierce government crackdown since the election last year.
I asked her why she has gambled on boycotting the vote rather than participating, what she thinks of the Trump Administration’s Venezuela policy, and millions of Venezuelans who have fled the country…
Here's the full interview.
Riley Callanan: Hello, Maria. Thank you for speaking with GZERO today ahead of Venezuela's elections this Sunday. I understand that you're in hiding right now, but could you tell me a little bit about what your life has been like since the election last summer? How have you processed both the massive victory of being able to prove that Maduro didn't win, but also the disappointment of him not stepping down?
Maria Corina Machado: Well, Riley, I first of all have to say that I feel so proud of what the Venezuelan people were able to do. It was a huge victory and most people thought it was impossible. We were able to build a movement of over 1 million volunteers that were able to secure the tall sheets in less than 24 hours under fierce persecution to prove that we won by a landslide.
After Maduro was defeated, he accused me of terrorism. He said that I would have to spend the rest of my life in prison. Every single coordinator involved in directing these huge processes are either in exile, jail, or in hiding. And that's what I decided to do. It was almost 10 months ago. And to be honest, it hasn't been easy. You're never prepared to be in absolute isolation.
But fortunately, I've had the possibility to work without stopping in order to maintain the strength, the pressure, and even scale up [our effort] so that we will finally, as I have no doubt, make the popular sovereignty of the Venezuelan people be respected.
Callanan: Do you think that Maduro's regime is at risk of losing power on Sunday?
Machado: Well, look, Sunday is not an election and it has nothing to do with Maduro getting more power in the country. It's going to be a huge defeat because people will not participate, and will not go. And I want to make this very clear. We are under not a conventional dictatorship, but a criminal structure that uses these kinds of processes to try to whitewash their faces. In this process, only those individuals that the regime allows are able to participate as candidates. They have completely changed the rules and violated the laws regarding who votes and where they vote. So in this case, a massive boycott will leave the regime alone and even further weaken what they have left of support. That I insist is only a few top brass individuals and financial enablers.
Callanan: Tell me a little bit more about that. After pulling off such a massive organizational feat in the presidential election, how did you decide to use your power as the opposition leader to call for a boycott? How'd you decide that abstention was the best route forward for the opposition at this point?
Machado: Because we've already proven where the power is, we've already shown where the people are. That happened on July 28th, and everybody knows it. They never expected that we had such a strong organization or that we could prove the results.
So once that happened, they decided to cut short any possibility of a genuine electoral process—it was over. Our concern, our mandate, our duty right now is to ensure that result is respected.
In that context, we need to evaluate every action the regime takes in terms of whether it facilitates or accelerates the transition to democracy and Maduro’s exit from power, or whether it stabilizes the regime. And in this case, it is clear to the Venezuelan people that this maneuver by the regime is designed to help them stabilize.
So we’re going to do exactly what the country needs—and certainly, we want to vote in truly free and fair elections. That’s what we’re fighting for—not this operation designed by the regime.
Callanan: I know you've also called on the international community to pressure Venezuela to move toward democracy. Specifically regarding the US, have you been able to make any inroads with the Trump administration? I know you appeared on Donald Trump Jr.'s podcast a few months ago. What are your thoughts on Donald Trump's current policy toward Venezuela?
Machado: Well, I have to say that I’m very grateful to the administration and to President Trump for his position on Venezuela. It has been unwavering support, along with that of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Under Secretary of State Christopher Landau. They have been very clear in their stance. I also have to acknowledge members of Congress — senators, congressmen, and congresswomen — who understand that the regime in Venezuela represents an ongoing threat, one that is already destabilizing the region and endangering both hemispheric and US national security. We are very grateful to President Trump for the decisions he has made in this regard.
Callanan: On the other hand, hundreds of Venezuelans have been deported to El Salvador to some of the harshest prisons in the region. That number is likely to increase now that the Supreme Court, on Monday, lifted deportation protections for 350,000 Venezuelans. What are your thoughts on the Trump administration’s policy regarding deportations?
Machado: Look, I’ve been very clear—and members of the administration are well aware of my position. Venezuelans who have left our country have been forced to do so by the regime—not only because it has destroyed and impoverished our population, but because anyone who thinks differently is persecuted. Almost all of those who have fled are good, hardworking, honest, family-loving people. And you know what? They want to come back — but they want to return to freedom.
The best way to solve the migration crisis stemming from Venezuela involves a broad international effort — not just from the United States, but also from many countries in Latin America that are under similar pressure. We have a third of our population living abroad. Imagine if a third of Americans had to leave their country — what would that mean? It’s devastating. We want our families back, we want our children back. But to make that happen, we need a transition that offers opportunity and safety for them at home.
So I insist: the only way to solve this immigration problem is at the source — not at the border. That means a transition to democracy in Venezuela. And that’s why we are asking our allies to help us.
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Can Venezuela's opposition leader unseat Nicolás Maduro?
Venezuela stands at a crossroads. Amid fraud allegations and Nicolás Maduro’s controversial third term, opposition leader María Corina Machado fights from the shadows. On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer speaks with Machado about Venezuela’s future, America’s role, and why she believes Maduro’s grip on power is weaker than it seems. For Machado, it’s not just about toppling a dictator; it’s about rebuilding democracy in Venezuela from the ground up. The real question isn’t just how Maduro’s rule ends but what comes next.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).GZERO World with Ian Bremmer airs on US public television weekly - check local listings.
Venezuela's opposition leader María Corina Machado says Maduro's days are numbered
Listen: On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer is joined by the most prominent opposition leader in Venezuela, María Corina Machado. Machado has a long political history as a center-right opposition figure in Venezuela, but she became the leader of that opposition during the presidential election last summer. That’s when the regime-friendly electoral council declared Nicolás Maduro the winner, despite widespread allegations of fraud and international condemnation from the US and Europe. But this is more than just a Venezuela story, it’s an American one, too. The Biden era saw an unprecedented influx of Venezuelan migrants to sanctuary cities. Under President Trump’s administration so far, thousands of Venezuelans have been arrested, and many have already been deported. Some of them, purported gang members, were shipped off to a black hole of a prison in El Salvador. And in recent weeks, Trump has canceled Venezuelan oil licenses and threatened steep sanctions and tariffs on Maduro’s regime.
Subscribe to the GZERO World Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.
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Meet María Corina Machado, the woman who scares Venezuela's dictator
Born and trained as an engineer, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has become a powerful symbol of resistance. Once a fringe opposition politician who shocked the nation by interrupting Hugo Chavez, she now leads the charge against the dictatorial regime of his successor, Nicolás Maduro. Although she has gone into hiding, she has not kept quiet. Through remote interviews and media outreach, she's rallied support for the opposition and praised right-leaning Latin American leaders like Argentina’s Javier Milei and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele. She defended the Trump administration’s recent move to cancel oil and gas licenses that had allowed energy companies to operate in Venezuela.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).GZERO World with Ian Bremmer airs on US public television weekly - check local listings.
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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado greets supporters at a protest ahead of the Friday inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for his third term, in Caracas, Venezuela January 9, 2025.
Venezuela briefly arrests opposition leader just ahead of Maduro inauguration
Regime forces violently detained Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado as she left a rally in Caracas on Thursday, just one day before strongman President Nicolás Maduro was set to begin his third term. She was released hours later.
Machado had been in hiding for over 100 days but came out to galvanize protesters risking their lives to demonstrate against the illegitimate, autocratic government. Despite soldiers loyal to the regime manning checkpoints across the capital, thousands of citizens marched in response to the opposition’s calls for resistance. Moments before her motorcycle convoy came under gunfire, Machado led a crowd of supporters chanting, “We are not afraid!”
Her short detention could lead to further protests, but Maduro is determined to retain power for another six-year term and is set to be sworn in today. He has met past unrest with brutal violence, and we are watching for more clashes between authorities and protesters, though the government has detained many activists and opposition politicians in recent days. The government says it will also arrestEdmundo González, the man who independent audits show actually won last year’s election, if he attempts to return from exile in the Dominican Republic — which he has sworn to do today.
A demonstrator looks on during a protest against election results that awarded Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro with a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, August 3, 2024.
Will Maduro yield amid protests and calls for transparency?
Seven EU member states on Sunday demanded that the Venezuelan government publish the electoral rolls to settle last weekend’s heavily disputed election, and the US and Argentina have taken the lead in recognizing opposition candidate Edmundo González as president. Thousands of Venezuelans have put their lives and freedom at risk to protest President Nicolás Maduro’s claimed electoral victory this past week,and the regime has arrested hundreds and deployed armed paramilitaries to intimidate them.
Human Rights Watch reports that 17 people have died since protests broke out last Monday.
Gonzalez is in hiding to protect his well-being. But Maria Corina Machado, a fellow opposition leader who was barred from running, held a defiant rally on Saturday to galvanize the demonstrators. “After six days of brutal repression, they thought they were going to silence us, intimidate or paralyze us,” she said. “The presence of every one of you here today represents the best of Venezuela.”
Her coalition collected electoral tally sheets from 80% of the precincts, and they showed a landslide victory for the opposition, with 6.89 million votes for Gonzalez and 3.13 million for Maduro. Venezuela’s government claimed Maduro won 6.4 million votes to Gonzalez’s 5.3 million.
What happens now? Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico are leading diplomatic efforts to set up an impartial audit of the results, and they can count on wide backing in the Americas and Europe. We’re watching how they apply pressure this week, and whether Caracas might make agreeable noises, if only to try to calm the furor in the streets.
A Venezuelan opposition supporter reacts after the results of the presidential election, outside Venezuela's Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico, July 28, 2024.
Maduro declares victory in Venezuela, opposition cries fraud
Venezuela’s strongman President Nicolás Maduro declared victory in the country’s hotly contested election on Monday, claiming to have won 51% of the vote despite independent exit polls showing a landslide for the opposition. Maria Corina Machado, Maduro’s chief rival, whom he banned from standing, said data collected by volunteers in polling places showed her candidate, Edmundo González, trouncing Maduro with 70% of the vote.
Election day. People began lining up at 3 a.m. in some parts of the capital Caracas on Sunday, anxious to cast their ballots in what many saw as their last best chance to restore the democratic process in Venezuela.
Media reports were tightly controlled, but some voters told CNN Español that they faced intimidation by militants. Citizens who attempted to enter government buildings to observe vote counting found themselves blocked by men on motorcycles donning red clothing and shouting pro-Maduro slogans.
What happens now? Machado said the opposition would fight to “defend the truth” and called on the international community to reject the results, but she stopped short of calling for protests. The presidents of Peru, Chile, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Uruguay all condemned or cast doubt on Maduro’s claimed victory, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for official vote tabulations to be published.
We are watching how Venezuelan voters react, and whether the international community can heap pressure on the Maduro regime — particularly given his dark warnings of a “bloodbath” and “civil war” if he is forced from office.
For more on Venezuela’s election, check out GZERO’s Viewpoint interview with Eurasia Group expert Risa Grais-Targowhere.Venezuelans gather to demonstrate during Venezuela's election voting day in Bogota, Colombia, July 28, 2024.
Venezuelans head to the polls as Maduro warns of a “bloodbath”
Venezuelans are voting in make-or-break elections as President Nicolás Madurotrails behind opposition leader Edmundo González by up to 30 percentage points in some polls. González – a retired diplomat who stepped in after the most popular opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was barred – might be the country’s best chance to restore democracy.
The background: Maduro’s 11 years in power have been marred with economic instability so severe as to cause mass malnutrition, violent political crackdowns, and America’s worst migration crisis in history. Over 7 million Venezuelans have fled repression and starvation since 2015. Maduro, currently under investigation by the ICC for alleged crimes against humanity, has led Venezuela to “the single largest economic collapse for a non-conflict country in almost half a century” according to the IMF.
How has he stayed in power? In past elections, Maduro has kept the crown by barring and jailing challengers – and using his thugs to intimidate voters. His actions have been met by US sanctions, and the last election was deemed illegitimate by the US, Canada, and 14 other countries.
Polls show an undeniable truth Maduro seems unwilling to accept: He cannot beat González in a free and fair election. This leaves Maduro – who most analysts presume will resist a peaceful transition of power – two options: mass electoral fraud and political crackdowns or making good on his warnings of a “bloodbath” and “civil war” if he loses. So far at least, the government has not reported any unrest at polling places.
For more on Venezuela’s election, check out GZERO’s Viewpoint interview with Eurasia Group expert Risa Grais-Targowhere.