Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is home after nearly a year away, greeted by crowds across Venezuela on returning from exile.
Machado appeared at Mass at a church in Lara state on Sunday, where supporters hugged her, according to reports. She then travelled toward Caracas with supporters lining the route, entering the capital late Sunday night.
On social media she announced her arrival, writing: “I am here. With you.” She later linked the night to family reunions and free political prisoners.
Her ally, former presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, confirmed her arrival and said he would join her very soon, according to reports. Her spokesperson called her return a major step toward democratic transition and free, fair and verifiable elections.
A return after months away
Machado had been out of Venezuela for more than 10 months. She left under cover of darkness to accept the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in Norway, according to reports, after hiding in safehouses. She won an opposition primary in 2023, but the government barred her from running over fraud and tax allegations she denied as politically motivated.
In the 2024 presidential election, González ran in her place. The electoral authority declared Nicolás Maduro the winner without publishing tallies, while the opposition argued González had won. Earlier attempts to return had failed, and an adviser said in September she had tried seven times in recent weeks without success.
A month after Machado left for Norway, United States forces seized Maduro in January 2026. He is jailed in New York and has pleaded not guilty to drugs, weapons and torture charges. Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, was sworn in as interim president, according to reports, and signed an oil deal on favourable terms for the United States.
What the return changes
Machado’s return puts her back at the head of the opposition inside Venezuela, after months abroad. That presence raises pressure on the interim government over when a presidential election will be held, a question it has not yet settled. It does not set an election date, and Washington has continued to back Rodríguez while saying it is too soon for democratic elections, according to reports.
President Donald Trump said he did not know anything about her return and that he hoped she was safe, calling her a very nice woman, according to reports. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised United States supported reconciliation talks, saying hundreds of political prisoners had been freed, according to reports.
What Machado plans next is unclear, according to reports, although she has said she would stand for president again if an election were held. Her return gives her backers a leader at home, and it gives the interim government an urgent question: when Venezuelans will next vote.
