Caracas, Venezuela, 04 January (H.S.): Venezuelan opposition titan María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace Prize recipient shrouded in hiding since Nicolás Maduro's contested July 2024 reelection, proclaimed the hour of freedom on X mere hours after U.S. Delta Force captured Maduro on January 3, 2026, insisting surrogate Edmundo González Urrutia must immediately assume his constitutional mandate as rightful president.

Venezuelans, the HOUR OF FREEDOM has arrived! thundered Machado, who surfaced publicly last month in Norway for her accolade after 11 months underground, galvanized by Operation Absolute Resolve's ouster of the socialist strongman amid widespread fraud allegations. González Urrutia echoed readiness on X: These are decisive hours... we are ready for the great operation of the reconstruction of our nation.

Electoral Shadows Dispelled

The 2024 poll, decreed Maduro's triumph by the National Electoral Council sans verifiable tallies—blamed on a cyberattack—ignited opposition fury, positioning González as Machado's last-minute stand-in after her ineligibility barred her ballot run.

Western powers, including the U.S., branded Maduro's 2018 and 2024 victories illegitimate, amplifying sanctions that halved oil output to one million barrels daily.

President Donald Trump, despite initial Machado alignment critiques, tempered on Fox News: We have to look at it right now... the election of Maduro was a disgrace, hinting at evaluations amid overtures to Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.

Transitional Tempest

Machado's clarion call contrasts Trump's interim running of Venezuela via U.S. oil influx and snub—very nice woman, but doesn't have respect—favoring pragmatic stabilization over her primacy. Amid Rodríguez's resource defense vows and global rebukes, González's ascension promises democratic reboot, potentially unlocking billions in Orinoco reserves while confronting narco-terror indictments shadowing Maduro's New York fate. This juncture teeters between reconstruction euphoria and factional strife.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar