Machado Urges Military To Back Opposition After U.S. Says Maduro Was Captured

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Saturday demanded an immediate transfer of power, urging members of the armed forces to abandon Nicolás Maduro’s government and recognize opposition-backed Edmundo González Urrutia as president after U.S. officials said Maduro had been captured.

Machado’s statement followed an announcement by President Donald Trump that U.S. forces had carried out "large-scale" strikes on Caracas, detained Maduro and his wife, and flown them to New York on drug-trafficking charges. If accurate, the operation would represent the most direct U.S. military action against a Latin American head of state in decades.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado issued an open call for a transfer of power Saturday, urging the military to abandon Nicolás Maduro’s government and recognize opposition-backed candidate Edmundo González as president after the U.S. said Maduro had been captured.

What Machado Said

"The hour of freedom has arrived," Machado wrote on X. "This is the hour of the citizens. Those of us who risked everything for democracy on July 28th. Those of us who elected Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate President of Venezuela, who must immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces by all the officers and soldiers who comprise it."

Machado called on Venezuelans inside the country to remain "vigilant, active and organized," saying further instructions would be issued through official opposition channels. She also urged Venezuelans abroad to mobilize quickly to press foreign governments to recognize a new leadership in Caracas.

Political Context And Election Dispute

Both Machado and González have long maintained that the July 28 presidential election was stolen. They point to an opposition-run parallel vote count that, according to them, shows González winning by a wide margin. Venezuela’s official electoral authorities—controlled by Maduro allies—declared Maduro the winner with just under 52% of the vote versus roughly 43% for González; the Maduro government rejects allegations of fraud.

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.

The opposition says it collected and published polling-station tally sheets from across the country indicating González received about two-thirds of the vote while Maduro received roughly 30%. The government’s refusal to release detailed precinct-level data has prevented independent verification of the official results and intensified disputes over the election’s legitimacy.

Opposition Leadership

Although Edmundo González Urrutia is the coalition’s formal presidential candidate, María Corina Machado has remained the dominant figure within the opposition. Machado won the opposition primary by a landslide but was later barred from running by Maduro’s government, leading the coalition to nominate González as a substitute. Throughout the campaign, González publicly acknowledged Machado’s leadership; she continued to steer strategy, messaging and voter mobilization.

By Saturday it remained unclear whether senior military commanders had shifted allegiance or whether the opposition had secured control of state institutions. Reports and official statements were still evolving, and international reactions were beginning to take shape.