Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado makes surprise return home after nearly a year abroad
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to her home country on Sunday after nearly a year abroad, re-entering a political landscape transformed by the United States’ ouster of Nicolás Maduro.
“I’m here. With you all,” Machado wrote on social media, announcing her return for the first time since December. Her homecoming comes as Venezuela remains under the leadership of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally backed by the Trump administration, with no presidential election scheduled.
President Donald Trump, asked about Machado’s return by reporters in Port Huron, Michigan, said he was unaware of the development but expressed hope for her safety.
“I don’t know anything about it, but I think she’s a very nice woman,” Trump said. “She gave me her Nobel Prize. So how can I say anything else? And I hope she’s safe. She’s a very nice woman. But we’re doing really well in Venezuela.”
Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 for her peaceful opposition to Maduro’s government. She did not disclose her exact location or provide details about how she returned to Venezuela.
Fellow opposition leader Edmundo González, who ran for president in 2024 after Machado was barred from contesting the election, confirmed her arrival on social media and said he would join her “very soon”.
“Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!” González wrote on X. “You know it, this is until the end.”
Machado’s return comes nearly 10 months after US forces captured Maduro in January, removing the longtime leader from power. Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, has remained in office with the Trump administration’s support, despite exceeding the period she was initially authorised to serve as acting president.
Trump has repeatedly praised his administration’s relationship with Rodríguez, highlighting agreements involving Venezuelan oil production and other business ventures with American companies.
In September, Trump said it was too early to consider holding democratic elections in Venezuela, with US officials prioritising economic stabilisation. Machado and her allies, however, have pushed for an election date, arguing that democratic governance is essential to the country’s long-term stability.
Her return could complicate relations between the Venezuelan opposition, the interim government and Washington. Reuters reported in June that US officials had asked Machado to delay her return.
Machado spent much of 2025 in hiding after being briefly detained following an opposition protest in January. She later secretly left Venezuela and resurfaced in Norway in December to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Meanwhile, a faction of the Venezuelan opposition and Rodríguez’s government held another round of talks this month, focusing on reforms to the country’s Supreme Court and electoral authorities ahead of eventual elections, Reuters reported.
Machado’s political movement has not participated in the negotiations.
Credit: Fox News
