Who is María Corina Machado? Nobel winner in focus after Trump captures Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

The United States launched an attack on Venezuela at several sites on Saturday, December 3. Following which, President Nicolás Maduro declared a state of emergency, calling the incident a grave act of aggression. Hours later, US President Donald Trump claimed that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured and flown out of the country.

A series of explosions were reported around 2 am local time. Venezuela’s vice president has publicly demanded proof that Nicolás Maduro is still alive. US authorities have said that Maduro will face criminal charges in the United States. Further clarification is expected later today, with US President Donald Trump scheduled to address a press conference at 11 am ET.

Machado, born in 1967, is an engineer and former businesswoman who has spent more than three decades in Venezuela’s opposition movement. She later became the global face of the Venezuelan opposition after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which was also sought by Trump. She founded the Atenea Foundation in 1992 to support street children and later co-founded Súmate, an organisation promoting free and fair elections. In 2010, she was elected to the National Assembly with a record vote share, before being expelled by the Maduro-aligned legislature in 2014.

María Corina Machado has not yet reacted to Donald Trump’s announcement claiming the capture of Nicolás Maduro and the launch of large-scale strikes in Venezuela. In the past, she has said she was “absolutely” supportive of President Trump’s aggressive strategy towards Venezuela, calling him a “champion of freedom in this hemisphere”. She added that Venezuelans were grateful for the pressure being placed on Maduro’s government.

As leader of the Vente Venezuela party, Machado emerged as the opposition’s most popular figure ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Barred from running, she backed Edmundo González Urrutia instead. The opposition claimed victory and documented alleged irregularities, but Maduro was declared the winner and sworn in for another term.

In 2025, Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights” and her efforts to achieve a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy. The Nobel Committee cited her role in uniting pro-democracy forces and defending electoral freedoms in Venezuela.

Machado’s endorsement of US pressure underscores her belief that external action may accelerate political change. However, even if US claims regarding Maduro prove accurate, Venezuela’s future leadership will depend on internal political arrangements, legitimacy, and public consent. The coming days may determine whether pressure from abroad translates into a credible democratic transition at home.