Venezuela's next leadership lineup emerges… 'Pro-Bitcoin' Machado cited as a leading candidate

Amid scenarios emerging around a change of regime in Venezuela, an opposition figure favorable to Bitcoin is being mentioned as a leading candidate for the next leadership.

On the 5th (local time), Cointelegraph reported that amid the power vacuum following the arrest by U.S. authorities and transfer to New York of President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is being highlighted as one of the key figures in the next leadership. Machado is identified as the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and is regarded as a figure who could lead Venezuela's transition away from an authoritarian system.

According to prediction market Kalshi data, Machado's chance of leading Venezuela by the end of 2026 was calculated at 28%. This is the second-highest figure after Edmundo González Urrutia, the Unitary Platform's candidate (32%). González Urrutia is known to have won the May 2025 presidential election but was prevented from being inaugurated due to obstruction by Maduro's ruling party.

Third is current Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, with a 27% probability. She has been designated interim president by the Venezuelan Supreme Court following Maduro's arrest. In this context, U.S. President Donald Trump said, "The United States will manage Venezuela until a new leadership is established," prolonging short-term political uncertainty.

If Machado assumes power, there is the possibility that political freedoms and basic human rights will be restored, alongside the pursuit of free-market reforms across the economy. In particular, there are views that Bitcoin could be discussed as a means to replace the bolívar, which has effectively ceased to function due to extreme inflation. The bolívar's purchasing power has collapsed by more than 99.99% since Maduro came to power.

Venezuela's future power transfer process and economic policy direction are expected to have a considerable impact on international politics and financial markets. If a political transition becomes a reality, discussions around the monetary system and means of asset protection are also likely to intensify.