- Nicolás Maduro was captured Saturday and transferred to New York to face federal charges, prompting questions about who will lead Venezuela next.
- Data from Kalshi places María Corina Machado at 28% to lead Venezuela by end of 2026, behind Edmundo González Urrutia at 32% and ahead of Delcy Eloína Rodríguez at 27%.
- Machado has promoted Bitcoin as a lifeline and proposed adopting it more broadly; she discussed this in a session with the Human Rights Foundation’s chief strategy officer, Alex Gladstein.
- Donald Trump said the U.S. would manage Venezuela until new leadership is in place and publicly questioned Machado’s domestic support.
- The ruling United Socialist Party has previously seized Bitcoin miners and shut down operations, creating friction around any crypto policy changes.
Nicolás Maduro was captured on Saturday and moved to New York to face U.S. federal narcotics and corruption charges, shifting focus to Venezuela’s leadership transition. Data from Kalshi shows María Corina Machado with a 28% chance of leading Venezuela by the end of 2026, behind Edmundo González Urrutia at 32% and slightly ahead of acting president Delcy Eloína Rodríguez at 27%.
Machado has advocated using Bitcoin as a national reserve asset and payments tool for Venezuelans. In a discussion with the Human Rights Foundation’s chief strategy officer, Alex Gladstein, she said “Venezuelans found a lifeline in Bitcoin during hyperinflation, using it to protect their wealth and to finance their escape.” She added that Bitcoin had grown into a means of resistance and expressed gratitude for its role.
More than 8 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2013, and crypto has been one of the channels used to send money home. The ruling United Socialist Party has a record of seizing Bitcoin miners and shutting facilities for alleged illegal power use or permit issues, a trend highlighted in a social post linked to seized equipment from commentator Pierre Rochard here.
Donald Trump said the U.S. would oversee Venezuela until new leaders are installed and later criticized Machado’s domestic standing; he remarked “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.” Analysts such as Project Pulso founder Liz Rebecca Alarcón have disputed that view and told ABC via a posted clip that Venezuelans support Machado and González Urrutia. Delcy Eloína Rodríguez initially signaled cooperation with U.S. contacts but later called the capture an “illegal kidnapping.” Trump warned in an interview, as reported here, that she could face severe consequences if she opposes the transition.
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