Maria Corina Machado: podcast appearances and interviews

Maria Corina Machado Parisca, born on October 7, 1967, is a Venezuelan politician and activist known for her leadership in the opposition to the governments of Hugo Chávez, Nicolás Maduro, and Delcy Rodríguez. She began her political career as a founder of the vote-monitoring organization Súmate and has served as a member of the Venezuelan National Assembly from 2011 to 2014. Machado is the National Coordinator of the political party Vente Venezuela and has been a candidate in presidential elections. She participated in the 2012 opposition primary, which she did not win, and played a prominent role in organizing protests during the 2014 Venezuelan protests against Maduro's government. In 2023, she won the opposition primary to become the unity candidate for the 2024 presidential election; however, she was disqualified from running due to administrative and fiscal violations from her time as a legislator, a disqualification upheld by Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice. Following the election, she expressed fears for her safety, went into hiding, and accused the Maduro government of election fraud. Machado has been recognized internationally for her activism, including being named one of BBC's 100 Women in 2018 and listed among Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2025. She was awarded the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize and the Sakharov Prize in 2024 for her efforts in representing Venezuelans fighting for democracy. She was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, and she presented the medal to U.S. president Donald Trump after the 2026 U.S. strikes in Venezuela and the capture of Maduro.