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

The successors to the ousted authoritarian Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro are likely to be the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, according to an expert on Caracas.

Jorge Jraissati, a Venezuelan who is the president of the Economic Inclusion Group, told Fox News Digital that "Machado and Gonzalez would assume a transitional government in Venezuela. They have the support of 70% of Venezuelans. They would lead this transition period." He added that "I believe Machado has the capacity and integrity to lead this very delicate transition. Key will be her ability to surround herself with young and capable Venezuelans instead of career politicians."

The United States recognized González as the legitimate leader of Venezuela after he soundly defeated Maduro by a more than two-to-one margin in the 2024 election. González replaced Machado after she was banned from running for the presidency by the Maduro-run high court. Maduro ignored the results.

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While Machado has yet to comment on Maduro's fall, just last month she told Fox News Digital that "I am absolutely grateful to President Donald Trump for every gesture, every signal and every moment that he has stood with the Venezuelan people. I have watched it very closely, and I know what it has meant for those who are fighting to reclaim democracy and freedom in our country."

Having been announced as the winner of the Nobel Prize in December, Machado, who was hiding at the time because of Maduro’s efforts to purge the opposition, said about the award and committee, "I am very grateful to them, and this is a measure of what this recognition means to the Venezuelan people."

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Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, who accepted her Nobel Prize in Norway, said that her mother "wants to live in a free Venezuela" and "will never give up on that purpose." Machado would later appear in Norway following a daring operation to get her out of the country.

Sosa’s prediction appears to have crystallized having said, "That is why we all know, and I know, that she will be back in Venezuela very soon." Machado dedicated her Nobel to both Trump and the "suffering people of Venezuela." 

If either opposition leader María Corina Machado or Edmundo González fail to fill the vacuum in a post-Maduro Venezuela, experts point to a crowded field of dangerous actors who could attempt to seize power now that Maduro is out.

Diosdado Cabello emerges as the most feared and influential figure in the regime. La Nación describes him as the longtime number two of Chavismo, with sweeping control over party machinery and the propaganda apparatus. His power stretches from internal political enforcement to the interior and justice portfolios.

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Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly and one of Maduro’s closest political operators, is another senior figure positioned for any succession scenario. La Nación highlights his prominence inside the ruling elite, noting his roles as mayor, communications minister and key strategist.

Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s vice president, is described as a central political operator within the regime and part of a powerful governing duo with her brother Jorge. Her influence spans institutional, economic and diplomatic spheres. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Rodríguez as part of Maduro’s inner circle for helping dismantle democratic governance, and the European Union lists her under measures for human rights violations and the erosion of the rule of law.

Ivan Hernández Dala heads Venezuela’s military counterintelligence service (DGCIM) and commands the presidential guard, making him one of the most feared figures in the security apparatus. His control over internal repression gives him significant leverage in any power struggle. He was designated by the State Department in 2019 for his involvement in gross violations of human rights.

Vladimir Padrino López, Venezuela’s long-serving defense minister, is portrayed by La Nación as the backbone of the military establishment and the guarantor of Maduro’s survival. The armed forces remain loyal because of him, forming an axis of power between Padrino and Maduro.

In an interview with Fox News Digital in December, Jason Marczak, vice president and senior director at the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, said, "A win isn’t just Nicolás Maduro leaving. . . . A win is actually a transition to democratic forces."