{"id":2530123,"date":"2026-01-05T16:17:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T21:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/europe-pushes-venezuelan-opposition-to-lead\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T16:18:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T21:18:36","slug":"europe-pushes-venezuelan-opposition-to-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/europe-pushes-venezuelan-opposition-to-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe pushes Venezuelan opposition to lead"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Feurope-pushes-venezuelan-opposition-to-lead%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2530123&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>European governments are backing Venezuela&#8217;s opposition &#8211; particularly Edmundo Gonz\u00e1lez Urrutia, widely seen by international observers as the legitimate winner of the recent presidential vote &#8211; as the pathway to restore democratic legitimacy after Nicol\u00e1s Maduro&#8217;s removal from power. EU officials adn leaders including Portugal&#8217;s foreign minister and France&#8217;s Emmanuel Macron urged a quick transition to the candidate who won the election, while noting legal concerns about the intervention. Gonz\u00e1lez, living in exile in Spain, has not asked to be installed but called for the release of all political prisoners as part of Venezuela&#8217;s recovery.Nobel Peace prize laureate Mar\u00eda Corina Machado is also cited as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-tries-to-play-the-victim-regarding-her-infamous-laugh-but-completely-misses-the-more-important-point\/\" title=\"Kamala Harris Attempts to Shift Blame Over Controversial Laugh, Fails to Address Key Issue\">leading opposition figure<\/a>, though President Donald Trump has rejected her as a viable leader and instead has voiced support for acting president Delcy Rodr\u00edguez, saying he expects to use U.S.leverage to influence her. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized continued U.S. pressure and leverage to force changes. Maduro, meanwhile, appeared in a New York federal courtroom on drug charges, insisting he remains Venezuela&#8217;s president and pleading not guilty.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Europe pushes Venezuelan opposition to lead as Trump seeks to puppet Maduro&rsquo;s vice president<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2464082\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The future leadership of Venezuela is up for grabs as former dictator <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nicolas-maduro\/\">Nicolas Maduro <\/a>is preoccupied, declaring himself a &ldquo;prisoner of war&rdquo; in a New York federal court.<\/p>\n<p>Europe is largely throwing its weight behind a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mississippi-rapper-announces-presidential-campaign\/\" title=\"Rapper from Mississippi launches his political campaign.\">high-profile opponent<\/a> of Maduro to replace him as head of state, despite President Donald Trump&rsquo;s rhetoric backing the deposed dictator&rsquo;s second-in-command, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4400937\/court-orders-venezuela-vice-president-as-interim-president\/\">acting President Delcy Rodriguez<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4406943\/russian-un-ambassador-rips-nicolas-maduro-capture-cynically-perpetrated-crime\/\">Russian UN ambassador rips Maduro capture as &#8216;cynically perpetrated&#8217; crime<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4406393\/paris-court-finds-guilty-cyberbullying-france-first-lady-brigitte-macron\/\">Paris court finds 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France&rsquo;s first lady Brigitte Macron<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4399732\/places-war-could-escalate-break-out-2026\/\">Places where war could escalate or break out in 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s worth recalling that Nicol&aacute;s Maduro lacked the legitimacy of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-democrat-suggests-stripping-catholic-church-of-tax-exempt-status-if-biden-denied-communion\/\" title=\"House Democrat Suggests Stripping Catholic Church Of Tax...Exempt Status If Biden Denied Communion\">democratically elected leader<\/a>, and therefore the events over the weekend provide the opportunity for a democratic transition led by the Venezuelan people,&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/european-union\/\">European Commission<\/a> chief spokeswoman Paula Pinho said Monday.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, left, waves to supporters beside Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou, right, on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, outside the government residence in Montevideo, Uruguay. (AP Photo\/Matilde Campodonico)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Pinho seemed to reference Edmundo Gonzalez, widely believed by international bodies to have been the legitimate victor of the latest Venezuelan elections, when she endorsed the &ldquo;possibility for those who have been democratically elected in Venezuela to actually be running the country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s obviously for the Venezuelan people to run the country as it is for any people across the world,&rdquo; Pinho said. &ldquo;Wherever and whatever country we&rsquo;re talking about.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This preference has been echoed across European countries following an initial period of trepidation about the invasion, with world leaders throwing their support behind Gonzalez and fellow <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4400705\/venezuela-opposition-leader-maria-machado-us-fulfilled-promise\/\">opposition leader Mar&iacute;a Corina Machado<\/a>, a former National Assembly member who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 for her advocacy toward Venezuelan democracy.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The solution to, as soon as possible, restore democratic legitimacy is not to reinstate [Nicol&aacute;s] Maduro in power, but precisely to put in the presidency the candidate who won the elections,&rdquo; Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theportugalnews.com\/news\/2026-01-05\/portugal-accepts-gonzalez-as-president-of-venezuela\">Paulo Rangel said<\/a> Monday.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Many consider this intervention, carried out in these terms, regardless of the intentions, which are benign, not to be in accordance with international law &mdash; but given the illegitimacy of Nicol&aacute;s Maduro and a narco-state elite, some believe that there may be some degree of legitimation,&rdquo; he continued.<\/p>\n<p>French President Emmanuel Macron, who publicly asserted that his country &ldquo;neither supported nor approved&rdquo; of the U.S. operation against Maduro, nevertheless offered a similar perspective. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We hope that President Edmundo Gonz&aacute;lez Urrutia, elected in 2024, will be able to ensure this transition as quickly as possible,&rdquo; Macron said.<\/p>\n<p>Gonzalez, who lives in exile and advocates Venezuelan reforms from Spain, has not requested to be installed as head of state.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Supporters greet Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo Gonz&aacute;lez Urrutia, left center, and opposition leader Mariana Corina Machado, at a campaign rally on Friday, May 31, 2024, in Guatire, Venezuela. (AP Photo\/Ariana Cubillos)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On Monday, Gonzalez issued a video statement saying that Venezuela will not truly recover from the repression of Maduro until &ldquo;all Venezuelans who have been deprived of their freedom for political reasons are released.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This moment represents an important step, but it is not enough,&rdquo; he said in the address published to social media.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has not directly weighed in on the possibility of Gonzalez taking power, but he has already ruled out Machado.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,&rdquo; the U.S. president told reporters, calling her a &ldquo;very nice woman&rdquo; who &ldquo;lacks the support&rdquo; necessary to lead Venezuela.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Trump is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4406194\/trump-venezuela-delcy-rodriguez-bigger-price-maduro\/\">leaning on Rodriguez<\/a> with the hopes that economic leverage and military strong-arming will allow the U.S. to control the vice president like a puppet.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I just had a conversation with her, and she&rsquo;s essentially willing to do what she thinks is necessary to make Venezuela great again,&rdquo; Trump said, pointing out in another comment that &ldquo;she really doesn&rsquo;t have a choice.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4406577\/seven-things-criminal-case-against-nicolas-maduro-cilia-flores\/\">SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST MADURO AND HIS WIFE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If she doesn&rsquo;t do what&rsquo;s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,&rdquo; Trump told the <em>Atlantic<\/em> in an interview.<\/p>\n<p>Secretary of State Marco Rubio has publicly pushed back on Trump&rsquo;s claims that the U.S. is now <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/columnists\/4406336\/venezuela-all-depends-on-meaning-of-run\/\">&ldquo;in charge&rdquo; of Venezuela<\/a>, suggesting that America has &ldquo;tremendous leverage &mdash; incredible, crippling leverage &mdash; which we intend to continue to use until we see the changes that we need.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We expect to see changes in Venezuela, changes of all kinds &mdash; long-term, short-term,&rdquo; Rubio told NBC&rsquo;s <em>Meet the Press<\/em> on Sunday. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d love to see all kinds of changes.&nbsp;But the most immediate changes are the ones that are in the national interest of the United States.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, left, and his wife, Cilia Flores, second from right, appear in Manhattan federal court with their defense attorneys Mark Donnelly, second from left, and Andres Sanchez, right, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If anyone cared about Maduro&rsquo;s perspective on the future of Venezuelan leadership, he made his position clear during <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4406772\/maduro-pleads-not-guilty-new-york-drug-charges\/\">his appearance in court on Monday<\/a> &mdash; declaring he is &ldquo;still president of my country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Are you, sir, Nicolas Maduro Moros?&rdquo; Judge Alvin Hellerstein asked Maduro on Monday in accordance with legal procedure.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4406772\/maduro-pleads-not-guilty-new-york-drug-charges\/\">MADURO PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN NEW YORK ON DRUG CHARGES: &lsquo;I AM A DECENT MAN&rsquo;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I am the president of Venezuela,&rdquo; Maduro responded, &ldquo;I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Before he could continue through his interpreter, the judge interrupted to tell him there would be time to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4406577\/seven-things-criminal-case-against-nicolas-maduro-cilia-flores\/\">challenge his arrest<\/a> later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Europe backs Venezuelan winner; Trump favors Rodriguez<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2530124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP24152851729038.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[32233,3760,50813],"class_list":["post-2530123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-european-union","tag-opposition","tag-venezuela-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP24152851729038.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2530123"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2530127,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530123\/revisions\/2530127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2530124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2530123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2530123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2530123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}