Venezuela's Transition Underway Amid US Support for Interim Leader and Opposition Claims

Following the January 3 US operation that led to Nicolás Maduro's arrest, Venezuela is undergoing a complex transition. Opposition leader María Corina Machado, a 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, claims a popular mandate to lead and envisions a democratic future with US support. However, the Trump administration has backed interim president Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice president, citing her cooperation on oil access and security. Machado criticized Rodríguez as following orders and expressed confidence in an eventual orderly transition to free elections, while US officials seek improved relations with Rodríguez's government.