Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado Calls on Military Support Following Maduro’s Arrest

Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado made a public appeal on Saturday, urging the military to withdraw their support for Nicolás Maduro’s regime. She called for the acknowledgment of Edmundo González, the opposition-backed candidate, as the rightful president, following reports from the U.S. claiming Maduro’s capture.

Machado’s plea followed an announcement from President Donald Trump, who detailed that U.S. forces had detained Maduro after executing what he termed as “large-scale” military operations against the Venezuelan government. Trump stated that Maduro and his wife were transported out of the country, marking a significant U.S. military intervention in Latin America not seen in decades.

“The time for freedom has come,” Machado declared in a post on X. “This is the moment for the citizens who braved all risks for democracy on July 28th. We elected Edmundo González Urrutia as Venezuela’s legitimate President. He must immediately assume his constitutional duties and be recognized as the Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces by all officers and soldiers.”

As of Saturday, it was still uncertain whether top military commanders had shifted their loyalties or if the opposition had gained control over state institutions.

Machado urged Venezuelans within the nation to stay “vigilant, active, and organized,” indicating that further directives would be issued through official opposition channels. She also called on Venezuelans living abroad to mobilize quickly and press foreign governments to acknowledge the new leadership in Caracas.

Machado also called on Venezuelans inside the country to remain “vigilant, active and organized,” signaling that further instructions would be communicated through official opposition channels. To Venezuelans abroad, she urged immediate mobilization to pressure foreign governments to recognize a new leadership in Caracas.

The U.S. conducted strikes on Caracas early Saturday morning and took Maduro and his wife into custody and flew them to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

Machado and González have repeatedly argued that the July 28 presidential election was stolen, pointing to an opposition-run parallel vote count that they say shows González won by a wide margin.

Machado called on Venezuela’s opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia to be recognized as the president.  (Ernesto Benavides/AFP via Getty Images)

Venezuela’s electoral authorities, which are controlled by Maduro allies, declared him the winner with just under 52% of the vote, compared with roughly 43% for González. The government has rejected allegations of fraud.

The opposition, however, says it collected and published tally sheets from polling stations nationwide showing González received about two-thirds of the vote, compared with roughly 30% for Maduro — a claim cited by several foreign governments that declined to recognize the official results.

Machado’s statement came hours after President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces had captured Maduro following what he described as “large-scale” military strikes targeting the Venezuelan government. (Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Maduro’s government has refused to release detailed precinct-level data to independently verify the outcome, further fueling accusations that the election did not reflect the will of voters.

While González is the opposition-backed presidential candidate, Machado has remained the dominant figure in Venezuela’s opposition movement. Machado won the opposition’s primary by a landslide before being barred from running by Maduro’s government, forcing the coalition to rally behind González as a substitute candidate.

Throughout the campaign, González publicly acknowledged Machado as the movement’s leader, with Machado continuing to direct strategy, messaging and voter mobilization efforts. Machado has remained the public face of the opposition, while González has largely played a formal, constitutional role tied to the presidency.