Venezuelan far-right politician María Corina Machado. Photo: EFE.
By Telesur – Oct 10, 2025
Various investigations and reports reveal that the political record of the far-right Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado is marked by the promotion of violence and conspiratorial plots that have compromised national sovereignty, creating a profound paradox in light of the recent announcement that the Nobel committee has chosen her for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
The distinction, awarded for her supposed “tireless work promoting democratic rights,” stands in stark contrast to her documented actions, which include calls for military intervention in her own country and a central role in the US blockade and economic strangulation agenda that directly affects the Venezuelan people.
Premio Nobel de la paz a una golpista. ¿Por qué no sois honestos y le cambiáis el nombre? pic.twitter.com/4nscNoSZ8m
— Juan Carlos Monedero (@MonederoJC) October 10, 2025
Call for sanctions and blockade: the attack on the Venezuelan people
The core of Machado’s policy has been the active promotion of external aggression against Venezuela. She is credited with tirelessly lobbying the US and other foreign powers to impose sanctions of every kind, which have strangled the economy of the country.
This is shown by the ongoing investigation launched by the Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office against the opposition figure in November 2024 for conspiring with the Biden administration to promote the US “Bolívar” bill, which sought to increase Venezuela’s economic isolation.
In addition to this, her requests for military intervention are documented, including the 2014 request to the Organization of American States (OAS) and the 2018 request to “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is now perpetrating a genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.
Accusations of drug trafficking and looting of national assets
Among María Corina Machado’s many crimes against Venezuela’s stability, her ties to transnational drug trafficking stand out. In late 2024, Venezuelan authorities dismantled a criminal network operating in the states of Zulia and Falcón, which used sophisticated smuggling methods such as the “fish belly” to connect Lake Maracaibo with maritime routes to the Caribbean and Europe.
The central figure in this network is shrimp entrepreneur José Enrique Rincón, owner of Grupo LAMAR, which went from producing 3,000 tons to over 100,000 tons of shrimp annually, controlling 80% of the export market to the European Union.
The relationship between Rincón and Machado was key to financing coup operations, with the use of aquaculture exports as a front for drug trafficking. The coup had the objective of preventing President Nicolás Maduro from taking office on January 10, 2025.
According to investigations, it was established that Rincón financed Machado’s political activities in exchange for a promise of impunity and the guarantee of essential logistical support to expand his criminal operations.
Analyst Vincenzo Caruso stated that these operations were part of a dark pact involving the handover of strategic drug trafficking routes to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in exchange for securing international support for the Venezuelan far-right opposition in its “desperate quest to seize power.”
These allegations are complemented by investigations that have uncovered meetings between Machado and drug trafficking groups in Colombia, including close ties with former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, infamous for his ties to paramilitary groups.
In March 2025, Machado offered Venezuelan national assets to Elon Musk, including the handover of oil resources, the National Electric System, and strategic areas, which is considered treason against the homeland according to Venezuelan law.
Machado is also complicit in the looting of Venezuelan national assets led by the US, as she was involved in handing over assets such as CITGO and Monómeros to foreign hands and the United Kingdom’s seizure of 31 tons of gold. These actions have caused economic losses of approximately $140 billion to the nation.
Venezuela’s Far-Right Machado Wins Nobel Peace Prize, Dedicates it to Trump
A history of conspiracy, failures, and violence
Despite the image of an “influential leader” that she maintains—albeit weakened—through media manipulation and the control of narratives on social media, María Corina Machado’s track record has been marked by political failure since 2002, leaving her followers disillusioned.
The first major milestone in her record is her participation in the 2002 coup d’état, when she signed the Carmona Decree, an action that identified her as a figure close to fascism. Subsequently, she founded the non-governmental organization (NGO) Súmate, funded by US government entities such as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the National Democratic Institute. From there, she spearheaded the failed oil strike of 2002, another attempt to economically strangle the country.
This destabilization campaign continued in 2014, when she was one of the main promoters of the “La Salida” plan, which unleashed the terrorist “guarimbas.” These acts of street violence, which she openly defended and which sought to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro’s government, resulted in the tragic deaths of 43 people.
In addition to promoting violence, her political career has faced electoral setbacks and disrepute. Her attempts to overturn the popular will have systematically failed, from the 2004 recall referendum against President Hugo Chávez to winning a mere 3.7% in the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) presidential primaries in 2011.
Additionally, Machado was removed from her position as a deputy in the National Assembly in 2015 for accepting the post of “alternate ambassador” of Panama at the OAS to call for a military invasion of her own country. Likewise, the efforts of Machado and other opposition figures to call for a presidential recall referendum in 2016 failed when they violated the deadlines set by law, leading to renewed frustration among opposition supporters.
Subsequently, throughout 2017, Machado actively worked to secure unilateral coercive measures and blockades against Venezuela. She explained to her followers that this “pressure” was aimed at weakening and breaking the Venezuelan government. Meanwhile, with the support of international media, she tried to deny her involvement in these efforts and portray herself as a democrat who “fights” for her country.
Machado led terrorist conspiracies
Machado has led many terrorist plots, among which the recent attempted bombing in Plaza Venezuela in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, on June 23, 2025, stands out. The objective was to detonate a three-kilogram TNT device hidden in a backpack, with the Victory Monument as the symbolic target.
Thereafter, on August 9 of this year, the Venezuelan authorities reported the dismantling of a logistics base and a large arsenal in Maturín, Monagas state. Over 54,000 shaped charges and detonating cords were seized in the warehouse, along with explosive devices and high-caliber ammunition. The operation resulted in the arrest of 21 individuals and exposed plans for coordinated attacks and sabotage against key strategic infrastructure such as energy, transportation, and communications.
Venezuelan authorities have identified María Corina Machado as the mastermind behind these terrorist conspiracies, accusing her of orchestrating clandestine violent units in alliance with far-right factions linked to the US government.
Investigations indicate that Machado and her far-right faction continue their destabilization efforts, using terrorism, attacks on infrastructure, and external funding as tools to bring about a change of government. The dismantled plans confirm the ongoing threat that this sector poses to the nation’s peace and security.
Public repudiation of Machado
Reflecting popular sentiment of repudiation of this agenda of aggression and failure, a recent study by the Venezuelan polling firm Datanálisis (September) revealed that 64.6% of Venezuelans condemn María Corina Machado’s role as an opposition leader.
📌La encuestadora venezolana Datanálisis publicó un estudio en el cual la dirigente opositora de la extrema derecha María Corina Machado es rechazada por el 64,6% de los venezolanos.
El sondeo fue publicado por el politólogo de #Venezuela🇻🇪 Pablo Andrés Quintero, quien señala… pic.twitter.com/IBz6U7eUfO
— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) September 22, 2025
Negative perceptions of María Corina Machado are in the majority, with 26.5% of respondents rating her role as “very bad” and 20.3% as “bad.” In contrast, her favorable rating is minimal: only 18.6% of respondents expressed a positive opinion, with just 5.7% considering it “good.”
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
