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María Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize 2025, stated this Tuesday that the Chavista regime is "irrevocably wounded" and is being dismantled following instructions from President Donald Trump.
The statements were made in an interview granted to AFP during her participation as the keynote speaker at the global energy forum CERAWeek, held in Houston, Texas.
"The regime is wounded. Irremediably. And it is dismantling. In fact, following instructions from President Trump, they are dismantling their own repressive and corrupt structures. An extremely important step towards advancing the transition. But this transition is already underway," declared Machado.
The opposition leader described the Venezuelan transition plan promoted by Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a three-stage process that can develop simultaneously, with the final phase including clean and free elections.
Machado also confirmed that he has held new conversations with Trump since their meeting at the White House in January 2026, although he specified that the content of those exchanges is private.
In the same forum, Machado presented an ambitious plan to quintuple Venezuelan oil production, which would require 150 billion dollars in investments over the next decade under a completely private model.
"To be 100% private, where the State assumes a regulatory role to incentivize, promote, and protect foreign investment," he explained. The plan includes a maximum royalty rate of 20% and fixed tax terms from the signing of contracts.
Machado emphasized that Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world and the eighth-largest natural gas reserves, but warned that the country is facing over 600% inflation, with no electricity, no water, no education, and widespread hunger.
In that context, madurismo is fading, and Venezuela seeks a new path, according to analysts who closely monitor the process.
Regarding her return to Venezuela, Machado was clear: "Of course I will return to Venezuela. That was the first thing I said when I arrived in Oslo. And I have repeated it every day since. Because I left with a mission. I am fulfilling it. If it were up to me, I would have returned days ago, I assure you." She also confirmed her intention to participate in the electoral process when it is called.
The Venezuelan political landscape changed dramatically after the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. troops on January 3, 2026.
Since then, the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez has sought to distance itself from chavismo, renewing its cabinet and cooperating with the conditions imposed by Washington to advance towards the transition.
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