Maria Corina Machado emerges as top potential successor after Maduro’s fall

The successors to the ousted authoritarian Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro are apt to beryllium the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize victor and absorption leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, according to an adept connected Caracas.

Jorge Jraissati, a Venezuelan who is the president of the Economic Inclusion Group, told Fox News Digital that  "Machado and Gonzalez would presume a transitional authorities successful Venezuela. They person the enactment of 70% of Venezuelans. They would pb this modulation period." He added that "I judge Machado has the capableness and integrity to pb this precise delicate transition. Key volition beryllium her quality to situation herself with young and susceptible Venezuelans alternatively of vocation politicians."

The United States recognized González arsenic the morganatic person of Venezuela aft helium soundly defeated Maduro by a much than two-to-one borderline successful the 2024 election. González replaced Machado aft she was banned from moving for the presidency by the Maduro-run precocious court. Maduro ignored the results.

VENEZUELAN DISSIDENT MACHADO CREDITS TRUMP FOR ADVANCING FREEDOM MOVEMENT, DEDICATES NOBEL TO HIM

Opposition conjugation statesmanlike hopeful Maria Corina Machado speaks to supporters astatine a run lawsuit successful Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 23, 2024. 

While Machado has yet to remark connected Maduro's fall, conscionable past period she told Fox News Digital that "I americium perfectly grateful to President Donald Trump for each gesture, each awesome and each infinitesimal that helium has stood with the Venezuelan people. I person watched it precise closely, and I cognize what it has meant for those who are warring to reclaim ideology and state successful our country."

Having been announced arsenic the victor of the Nobel Prize successful December, Machado, who was hiding astatine the clip due to the fact that of Maduro’s efforts to purge the opposition, said astir the grant and committee, "I americium precise grateful to them, and this is simply a measurement of what this designation means to the Venezuelan people."

TRUMP CONFIRMS US STRIKE IN VENEZUELA, SAYS PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO HAS BEEN 'CAPTURED'

Opposition statesmanlike campaigner Edmundo Gonzalez leads a objection against the authoritative predetermination results that declared that President Nicolas Maduro won reelection successful Caracas, Venezuela, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez) (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, who accepted her Nobel Prize successful Norway, said that her parent "wants to unrecorded successful a escaped Venezuela" and "will ne'er springiness up connected that purpose." Machado would aboriginal look successful Norway pursuing a daring cognition to get her retired of the country.

Sosa’s prediction appears to person crystallized having said, "That is wherefore we each know, and I know, that she volition beryllium backmost successful Venezuela precise soon." Machado dedicated her Nobel to some Trump and the "suffering radical of Venezuela." 

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado waves astatine the Grand Hotel successful Oslo, Norway, aboriginal Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)

If either absorption person María Corina Machado oregon Edmundo González neglect to capable the vacuum successful a post-Maduro Venezuela, experts constituent to a crowded tract of unsafe actors who could effort to prehend powerfulness present Maduro is out.

Diosdado Cabello

Diosdado Cabello emerges arsenic the astir feared and influential fig successful the regime. La Nación describes him arsenic the longtime fig 2 of Chavismo, with sweeping power implicit enactment machinery and the propaganda apparatus. His powerfulness stretches from interior governmental enforcement to the interior and justness portfolios.

Venezuela's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello speaks adjacent to a coating of the precocious Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a league astatine the National Assembly successful Caracas connected September 17, 2024. "He is much of a hard-liner who has been beauteous captious of immoderate benignant of negotiations and dialog with the opposition", adept say. (Federico PARRA / AFP)

MADURO’S HEIRS: HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATORS, CORRUPT ENFORCERS AND RUTHLESS LOYALISTS

Jorge Rodríguez 

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly and 1 of Maduro’s closest governmental operators, is different elder fig positioned for immoderate succession scenario. La Nación highlights his prominence wrong the ruling elite, noting his roles arsenic mayor, communications curate and cardinal strategist.

Delcy Rodríguez 

Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s vice president, is described arsenic a cardinal governmental relation wrong the authorities and portion of a almighty governing duo with her member Jorge. Her power spans institutional, economical and diplomatic spheres. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Rodríguez arsenic portion of Maduro’s interior ellipse for helping dismantle antiauthoritarian governance, and the European Union lists her nether measures for quality rights violations and the erosion of the regularisation of law.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (2nd R) waves adjacent to First Lady Cilia Flores, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. (FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images))

Iván Hernández Dala 

Ivan Hernández Dala heads Venezuela’s subject counterintelligence work (DGCIM) and commands the statesmanlike guard, making him 1 of the astir feared figures successful the information apparatus. His power implicit interior repression gives him important leverage successful immoderate powerfulness struggle. He was designated by the State Department successful 2019 for his engagement successful gross violations of quality rights.

In this April 13, 2019 record photo, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, speaks flanked by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, right, and Gen. Ivan Hernandez, 2nd from right, caput of some the statesmanlike defender and subject counterintelligence successful Caracas, Venezuela.  (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

Vladimir Padrino López 

Vladimir Padrino López, Venezuela’s long-serving defence minister, is portrayed by La Nación arsenic the backbone of the subject constitution and the guarantor of Maduro’s survival. The equipped forces stay loyal due to the fact that of him, forming an axis of powerfulness betwixt Padrino and Maduro.

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In an interrogation with Fox News Digital successful December, Jason Marczak, vice president and elder manager astatine the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, said, "A triumph isn’t conscionable Nicolás Maduro leaving. . . . A triumph is really a modulation to antiauthoritarian forces."