María Corina Machado, the Nobel laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader, is publishing a book in the United States that lays out her vision for Venezuela’s political future.
The book, which is being released by Regnery, a conservative imprint at Skyhorse Publishing, was written before the U.S. military raid that captured Nicolás Maduro, the ousted Venezuelan president.
Publication was initially planned for Feb. 3 but has been pushed back in order to add new material addressing the recent political upheaval, said Tony Lyons, the publisher of Skyhorse. He added that the house is “rushing” to get the book printed and into bookstores as soon as possible, and perhaps as early as next month.
Titled “The Freedom Manifesto,” the 120-page book covers Machado’s proposals for “a ‘new era’ for a Venezuela without its dictator Nicolás Maduro,” as well as “the new national project she envisions,” according to a description on Skyhorse’s website. The book also draws from separate interviews with Venezuelans who have suffered under Maduro’s regime.
Machado argues that Venezuela’s government must guarantee its citizens “the right to security, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association,” and stresses that the country’s private sector and economy need to be rebuilt in a way that benefits citizens, according to the publisher’s summary. She also calls for the return of emigrants who have fled the country and for members of Maduro’s government to be brought to justice for “crimes against humanity.”
A former legislator and longtime political activist who was nicknamed the “Iron Lady” for her conservative politics and bullish opposition to the Maduro regime, Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for leading an electoral challenge against Maduro, who declared himself the winner and rejected the election results.
Machado has been a vocal supporter of the U.S. military buildup against Venezuela and called for the U.S. to help overthrow Maduro. She dedicated her Nobel Prize to President Trump “for his decisive support of our cause.”
After Maduro’s capture, Machado posted a celebratory call to action on X. “Venezuelans, the hour of freedom has arrived,” she wrote. And in an interview on Fox News on Monday, she praised Trump and offered to share her Nobel with him.
In the aftermath of Maduro’s ouster, Machado has been excluded from the Trump administration’s plans. Speaking on Saturday, Trump was dismissive of her ability to lead a political transition in Venezuela.
“She doesn’t have the support within, or the respect within, the country,” he told reporters at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago.
The Trump administration has instead thrown its support behind Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s vice president, and is now serving as the country’s acting president.
Lyons said the book came together quickly after Machado was awarded the Nobel. It was assembled based on a two-hour interview with her, and expands on the four-page “freedom manifesto” she released in November, in which she called for an end to Maduro’s rule.
Lyons said he hasn’t been in touch with Machado since the U.S. captured Maduro, but that he plans to ask her to write a postscript that “covers her vision under the current circumstances of what the future holds” for Venezuela. Skyhorse is planning a first printing of 50,000 paperback copies, and also plans to print 5,000 copies of a Spanish-language edition.
Alexandra Alter writes about books, publishing and the literary world for The Times.
The post Venezuelan Opposition Leader Will Publish a Book in the U.S. appeared first on New York Times.
