‘A transition has begun’: Venezuela’s opposition puts brave face on Machado setback

Nobel winner's supporters disappointed by US refusal to back her but remain hopeful that in time she can win power

There was unbridled joy among members of Venezuela's opposition on Saturday morning as their country's president, Nicolas Maduro, was dragged into US custody after an audacious raid on his compound. The military strategy was brilliant," said Ricardo Hausmann, a former minister and opposition supporter, said of the deadly nocturnal assault during which dozens of Maduro's guards - but not a single US soldier - were reportedly killed.

That elation was short-lived. Hours after Donald Trump announced Maduro's capture during Operation Absolute Resolve, the US president dashed opposition hopes that their leader, the conservative activist Maria Corina Machado, would now be able to return home to inaugurate a new democratic era.