Name: Venezuela's Fight for Freedom
Uploaded: 2025-10-29
Duration: 17 min 54 s

Weeks after receiving the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting democracy in Venezuela, opposition leader María Corina Machado joins Fortune to discuss her fight for a free and democratic nation. Forced into hiding under the Maduro regime, she remains a powerful voice for change. This conversation will explore her vision for a democratic Venezuela—what political renewal could mean for citizens, economic recovery, and the return of global investment. 

Venezuela's Fight for Freedom

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Hi everyone. For decades, Venezuela has endured political turmoil, economic collapse, and of course the flight of millions of people. Among the most prominent voices pushing for reforms is Maria Corina Machado, opposition leader and a relentless advocate for democracy. Just weeks after receiving the 2025 Nobel. Peace Prize she is here to join us for her vision for Venezuela and also how America and others are engaging with her country. Thanks very much for joining us and she'll be appearing virtually because she is currently in hiding. Maria Corina, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you very much, Diane. My pleasure. Let me start with the fact that you are in hiding. You've just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. That can be both a bit of a mixed blessing. How has that impacted what you're trying to do in Venezuela, both the attention internally and externally. Well, I think it has been a huge recognition for the whole society that has been fighting for 26 years for a transition to democracy, a country that is that used to be the richest country in our region and the freest country in our region. And that has turned into one of the poorest, as you say, we have suffered the largest migration crisis. It's an exodus of a third of our population. People that have been forced to leave for survival. Our economy has collapsed. It's in over 80% in the last few years. And and and and certainly turned Venezuela. Venezuela has been turned into, you know, a safe haven for criminal activities from all over the world. So this recognition has certainly been a boost to a great movement that has been growing in the last few years, and I believe that we are finally at the threshold of freedom. You know, I, I was intrigued to see that you dedicate the award to the people of Venezuela as well as President Donald Trump. Talk more about the role that President Trump has had in your fight. Well, as I said, for many years we have, you know, demanding the international community to realize that we're not facing a conventional dictatorship, that the regime in Venezuela had turned into a criminal structure, not a terrorist structure. And in order to dismantle these structures that are not only, and I want to insist doing huge harm and bringing huge pain to our people but are also destabilizing the whole Western hemisphere and the only way to really, you know, dismantle them is you need to cut the. Those that come from criminal activities such as drug trafficking, gold smuggling, arms smuggling, even even even human trafficking. So finally we're seeing in this administration with the leadership of President Trump, the division and the clarity to Cut those inflows from coming into that regime. So that's why we're seeing this this unique opportunity, very close, very close to in our future in terms of a peaceful transition to democracy once the regime finally realizes that it's time it's over, and I think that's already happening. You know, so that we'll talk about the peaceful transition and what your vision is. Let's start with the fact that the US has now blown up. I believe it's 10 boats off Venezuela using the same language you've used with regards to narco-terrorism. Do you think that that is a good strategy? How do you feel about the US taking that sort of action? Well, I have been very clear in this matter. It was Nicolas Maduro. Who started this war. We the Venezuelan people do not want a war. We want to be living in peace, but we understand that in order to live in peace, it requires freedom. And when you face a structure that is, as I say, narco-terrorist structure in order to gain freedom you need strength. So it was Nicolas Maduro who started this war and he has been offered all along this way since. Won by a landslide, a presidential election last year, he has been offered for a negotiated transition. It has been Maduro who has refused and who has staying power through the most brutal repression campaign. I think, and I let's, but let me just pause a second. Um, we will talk about Maduro, but I am curious just about the US action, the action that has been taken so far, I know warships have been sent down and that sends a very powerful message. Do you think that it is right for the US to be blowing up those ships? I'm and I'm not saying that with any bias. Um, I just want to hear your thoughts because it's something that's been debated a lot in other parts of the world. Look, I'm going to insist on this point. Maduro is the one who has been declaring a war towards our people through state terrorism and a war against the Western Hemisphere democratic nations through narco-terrorism, so he knows the consequences and he has been warned to stop this. So it is his responsibility and it is still his opportunity to stop this from keep on happening. If President Maduro does not agree to a peaceful transition, do you think it's appropriate for the US to take military action to oust? Maduro? I think that the pressure should be progressively increased. This escalation will bring at the end what we all need and demand that is that the support that the few top brass military and frontmen and financial enablers Maduro still has will leave him, and I think that's the most probable scenario in the very short term. What would be your advice to President Trump at this point, and then I'd like to move on to the rest of the world, of course, because I know that this could be a global engagement. What's your advice to him in terms of the action that should be taken? To get where you wanna go. Well, we have, as I said for a long time, asked that the approach should be using law enforcement. So what we are asking all democratic countries around the world is to have a full disclosure of all the information they have regarding all the crimes Nicolas Maduro and his cronies have committed. It, I mean, I want to assist in this. Much of these resources from, you know, ball trafficking, human trafficking and drugs end up in financial systems around the world, and these create, you know, horrible incentives. So it is the moment to make this all, you know, full disclosure, make it public, and, and let the world know the truth and let the Venezuelan people. Learn the truth and that was, I believe we will be the last decisive action in order to move ahead into a peaceful, orderly transition to democracy in Venezuela, freezing the assets, almost freeze the assets and then take military action. I think that the world is looking at Venezuela right now and very curious to see what's going to happen on the military front. Well, the world should have looked at Venezuela a long time ago. I mean, the, the, the, the crimes against humanity, and this is a statement by the fact-finding mission of the United Nations are huge, are extensive. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights have called this state terrorism. Every single NGO human rights around the world have documented. I mean, we're talking about thousands of people that have been disappeared, imprisoned, tortured, and executed. This is this is the moment to stop this. This is about saving lives. Maduro started the war. President Trump is ending the war. You know, you've, you've endured a great personal cost yourself obviously staying within Venezuela, you know, you have children, um, I'm curious, would you want to be president if. You the opportunity comes up. Look, 2 years ago I ran for a primary. And for a presidential candidate, and I won with 93% of the votes. The regime decided because they feared me to ban me and I look for an alternate person who wasn't also accepted. It was an academic, a professor, a great woman. And then we found this extraordinary man called Edmundo Gonzale Gia, totally unknown in Venezuela. This was only 2 months before the election, and the regime thought that it was impossible for him to get, you know, national support and people to get to know him. I went all around the country with a poster telling the people, if you want to vote for me, you have to vote for him. And after 15 months in absolute isolation, We finally see freedom very close, and I believe me, Diane, we have, we are ready to turn this country from the ruins Chavismo has brought into the greatest opportunity to live, to invest, to produce, to create. We are ready to take over. We know what we need to do. what we have to to solve every single problem and to open opportunities. Venezuela will be the single biggest business economic opportunity for decades to come in this region. Would your aspiration? Obviously there's huge oil reserves, huge potential through partnerships to tap into that. What is your aspiration um to take investment equally from all parts of the world? I'm here in Riyadh. Would you welcome investment from Saudi Arabia, from China, um, the US in terms of investing in your country and tapping into those resources? But of course we're going to open our markets or business all around the world, but it's going to be absolutely strict in terms of rule of law and transparency, something that has absolutely lacked. Under this regime, I'm not sure if you're aware that Venezuela is currently in the last place all over the world in terms of rule of law. The last place, and that's one of the most important transformations we're going to do starting from day one so that anybody that invests in Venezuela knows. That there are clear, strict, stable rules that we're going to have great fiscal incentives. We're going to make Venezuela super competitive. We're going to open markets that have been kept for the state, solely for the state until now, and certainly we're going to turn this country that has not only huge naturals. and infrastructure and unparalleled geographic location, but the most important our talent, our human talent, our people, our diaspora that is willing to come back as soon as Maduro goes to work hard and to bring all that experience that they've gathered during these very long years. How important is it to you to be one of the leading fossil fuel powers? Talk a little bit about your vision for the energy sector. Look, Venezuela, as you know, has the largest oil reserves in the world. Also, we have the 8th natural gas reserve in the world, but currently our people don't even have gas even to cook. That's a disaster the socialist system has brought, so we need to open, as I said, markets with fair rules, super competitive, and, and have the state concentrated exclusively in being the controller, auditing the process, guaranteeing full transparency and And justice in terms of all of the privatization process that is going to take place. I mean there are over 500 private companies that were taken by the regime, confiscated, destroyed, but the infrastructure is there related to the energy sector and to others, and we're going to go into full privatization process. as I say, with transparency and certainly we need a huge investment coming into Venezuela. We're talking about an opportunity, business opportunity of more than $1.7 trillion. I mean this is unique and certainly we need and we hope to bring people from all over the world to invest and create value in our country. If in the next, I want, we just have a little bit of time left and I really appreciate the fact that you're talking to us obviously with, you know, feeling a great threat to your life. I'd like to pause a little bit there and say, are you feeling, how much do you feel your own life is at risk right now? Well, I'm sure that if the regime finds out where I am at the least, I would be disappeared, and this is something that's been suffered by most of my colleagues, many of my friends that are currently. In jail, some have been months without information regarding where they are. Many have been killed, and this is a regime that it's at its weakest point ever. And that's why it has turned so desperate. So certainly it's a big risk. It's a risk that every single Venezuelan that speaks out, is, is, you know, facing today, but I want you to know that I am absolutely convinced that we're moving into a transition that it's going to be orderly. Venezuela is a cohesive society. We have no tensions racial, religious, social, political, and 90% of our country wants the same to live with dignity. With justice, certainly with freedom, and we want to bring our kids back home. And the hope, of course, is for a peaceful transition if we do see attacks, if we see US attacks, etc. how do you want the rest of the world to react? How do you want your neighbors Brazil, Argentina, etc. How do you want us to celebrate that? Do you feel like that's a necessary step to get to where we need to go? Well, as I said, it depends on Maduro. The degree of pressure will keep on building because he hasn't stopped the war because he's the one that is attacking both the Venezuelan people and other countries in the region. So we need now more than ever your support. We have a really good friend in President Mile in Argentina, President Novo in Ecuador, President Molino in Panama. In Guatemala, Costa Rica, I mean this is a coalition. Latin American countries understand what's going on in Venezuela. Venezuela is the center, the hub of regional destabilization, and once Maduro goes, we will see not only these huge opportunities for democracy and for investment, but also to stabilize the region. Thank you so much for joining us. And thank you again. Uh, congratulations on the Nobel Peace Prize. Please stay safe and we're, um, honored that you chose to spend time with us here today. Thank you very much. Thank you, Diane. Thank you.