Venezuelan opposition figures in Madrid reacted with cautious optimism to reports of Nicolás Maduro's capture by U.S. forces. While expressing happiness, they emphasized the need for an orderly and peaceful transition, asserting that opposition leaders Edmundo Gonzalez and María Corina Machado hold constitutional legitimacy. Some noted the swiftness of Maduro's removal as a sign of his government's weakened military capacity, anticipating a new phase led by the elected opposition figures.