Venezuelan opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, expressed confidence on Saturday that the ruling administrations in Cuba and Nicaragua would collapse after the removal of what she termed as the “corrupt regime” in Caracas.
In early January, US special forces apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and extradited him to the United States to face legal proceedings. His former deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, has assumed interim leadership in Venezuela.
Rodriguez has initiated broad amnesty for political detainees and implemented reforms in the oil sector under US influence, enabling her to maintain authority as long as she complies with directives.
Speaking via video link at the Munich Security Conference, Machado, who had been in hiding for over a year before being awarded the Nobel Prize in December, emphasized the significant impact of the ongoing events in Venezuela on the region.
Machado asserted, “Once we dismantle the regime, the corrupt regime in Venezuela, Cuba will be next. Nicaragua will then follow suit. It will mark a historic moment when the Americas will be liberated from communism and dictatorship,” addressing the audience in English.
Cuba, under President Miguel Diaz-Canel, and Nicaragua, governed by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, have longstanding ties with Venezuela.
When questioned about her potential return to Venezuela, Machado stated her readiness to go back home, clarifying that she did not require “permission” from Washington but acknowledged the need for “coordination” for such a decision.
Last month, during a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, Machado presented her Nobel medal to him after feeling marginalized in favor of Rodriguez.
