In the months leading up to the dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US military forces acting on orders from President Donald Trump, opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado was already charting a bold new course for her nation's future. From hiding, she advocated for what she termed the most ambitious economic overhaul in Venezuela's history, centred on sweeping privatisation.
The $1.7 Trillion Privatisation Blueprint
Addressing the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh virtually in June 2025, Machado presented a vision to resuscitate Venezuela's crippled economy through large-scale private investment. She pegged this opportunity at a staggering $1.7 trillion, calling it a unique business prospect for global investors. This estimate was compiled by her economic advisory team.
She blamed the nation's dire state on “the disaster this socialist system has wrought.” Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that same year for her decades-long democratic struggle, argued that reversing Maduro's policies was essential. She made these remarks just weeks after receiving the Nobel, an accolade that reports indicated then-US President Trump was also eyeing at the time.
Core Elements of the Transformation Plan
At the heart of Machado's strategy was a rapid and transparent privatisation process. She identified over 500 companies that she claimed were confiscated and destroyed by the regime, but whose infrastructure remained. She promised to implement strict oversight and the rule of law from “day one,” aiming to lure back international investors with fiscal stability and incentives.
Machado vowed an “absolutely strict” approach to transparency and law. She also highlighted Venezuela's vast untapped potential, noting its massive oil resources and its position as the eighth largest holder of natural gas reserves globally. “…but currently our people don’t even have gas even to cook. That’s a disaster,” she lamented, referencing a 2024 Bloomberg report that detailed how Venezuelans were burning furniture for cooking fuel.
A Call for Global Investment and Social Cohesion
From her virtual podium, Machado extended an open invitation to responsible private investment from across the world, specifically naming Europe, the US, China, and the Middle East. She expressed firm conviction in an orderly transition, emphasising Venezuela's social cohesion.
“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,” she told the audience at an event hosted by the Council of the Americas on June 12 last year. She framed the nation's crisis as a historic turning point, offering “the greatest opportunity for democracy, security, and investment in Latin America.”
Her message was clear: a post-Maduro Venezuela would represent the single biggest economic opportunity in the region for decades, built on the pillars of privatisation, rule of law, and global partnership.
