María Corina Machado Returns to Venezuela After 10 Months in Exile, Presses for Elections
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday after more than 10 months in exile, announcing on X: "I am here. With you." She attended Mass in Lara state before a roughly ten-hour caravan to Caracas, where crowds lined the route. Her ally Edmundo González confirmed her arrival and said he would soon join her. Machado returned to press for a near-term election date and to run in it, amid a political landscape reshaped by the US seizure of Nicolás Maduro and the US-backed interim presidency of Delcy Rodríguez.
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Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado Returns Home to Push for Elections
After ten months in exile, Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday, appearing at a mass in Barquisimeto before a roughly ten-hour journey to Caracas greeted by crowds along the way. She returned to press for a near-term election date and to run in it. The 2024 presidential election, which independent observers and opposition data indicated Edmundo González Urrutia won, was declared a victory for Nicolás Maduro, prompting a violent crackdown. Machado later left for the Nobel ceremony in December 2025 and dedicated the prize to Donald Trump. After US special forces seized Maduro on January 3, Washington recognized interim president Delcy Rodríguez, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Machado's safe return resulted from US-backed reconciliation talks, warning all political actors to support them. Trump has said it is too early for elections, while Rodríguez has avoided setting a date.
Read sourceVenezuela's María Machado returns home from exile to jubilant crowds
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned home after more than 10 months in exile, writing on X on Sunday, "I am here. With you." Her return followed several prior failed attempts to re-enter the country. Machado attended Mass at a church in Lara state, surrounded by jubilant supporters, and later huge crowds lined her route through Caracas. According to the report, the US seized her opponent, President Nicolás Maduro, last January, a month after Machado escaped Venezuela under cover of darkness to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. The Trump administration then backed Maduro's deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, as leader, and she was sworn in as interim president.
Read sourceVenezuelan Opposition Leader María Machado Returns Home After Months in Exile
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday after more than 10 months in exile, writing on X: "I am here. With you." She attended Mass in Lara state surrounded by supporters before traveling in a caravan to Caracas, where crowds lined the route. Her ally Edmundo González confirmed her arrival and said he would soon join her. Machado left Venezuela in January to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway; a month later, US forces seized President Nicolás Maduro, and the Trump administration backed deputy Delcy Rodríguez as interim president. An advisor said Machado had attempted seven times to return but was denied, with reports of US involvement in delays that Washington denied. Her spokesperson David Smolansky called the return "a major step toward a democratic transition," thanking Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio credited US-supported reconciliation talks. Trump said he did not know about her return and hoped she was safe.
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Venezuela Opposition Leader Machado Reportedly Returns After Ten Months in Exile
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado has reportedly returned to Venezuela after nearly a year abroad, writing on social media, "I am here. With all of you," without giving details of her location or entry. Former presidential candidate Edmundo González confirmed the return from Spain and said he would follow soon. Her return follows the detention of Nicolás Maduro and a power transition to interim President Delcy Rodríguez. US President Donald Trump said he was unaware of Machado's entry and hoped she was safe, while supporting Rodríguez and praising recent US oil deals in Venezuela. Trump said in September it was too early for democratic elections, whereas Machado argues only a serious democratic government offers investors the needed stability. Machado left Venezuela secretly in late 2025 despite a travel ban to accept the Nobel Prize, after more than a year largely in hiding.
Read sourceVenezuelan Opposition Leader María Machado Returns After Months in Exile
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has returned to Venezuela after more than 10 months in exile, she announced on X on Sunday, writing: "I am here. With you." Her ally, former presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, confirmed the news minutes later, saying he was thrilled to announce that "our leader, my dear María Corina, is on Venezuelan soil." In January, a month after Machado left Venezuela to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway, the US seized her opponent, President Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration then backed his deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, as leader, and she was sworn in as interim president, later signing an oil deal with the US. The BBC said this is a breaking news story that is being updated.