Machado Returns to Venezuela Amid Political Uncertainty

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has returned to Venezuela after more than 10 months in exile and multiple unsuccessful attempts to re-enter the country. She announced her arrival on X, attended Mass in Lara state, and travelled toward Caracas in a caravan accompanied by supporters. Her ally Edmundo González welcomed her return and said he would soon join her to advance what he called Venezuela’s path toward freedom. Machado’s return follows a dramatic shift in Venezuela’s political situation. She left the country to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway after spending her final days in Venezuela in safehouses. In January, US forces removed President Nicolás Maduro, who is now jailed in New York and faces drugs, weapons and torture charges; he has pleaded not guilty. The Trump administration backed Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, as interim president, and Rodríguez later signed an oil deal granting favourable terms to the United States. Reports said the US had previously been involved in delaying Machado’s return, an allegation it denied. The article says her return depended on approval from the Trump administration. Machado won more than 90% of an independent opposition primary in 2023, but Maduro’s government barred her from running, citing fraud and tax violations. She denied the allegations and called them politically motivated. González ran against Maduro in the 2024 election. The government-aligned electoral authority declared Maduro the winner without publishing detailed tallies; the opposition said González had won and released tally copies as evidence. Machado’s spokesperson described her return as a step toward democratic transition and future free, fair and verifiable elections, thanking US officials and allied governments. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attributed the conditions for her safe return to US-supported reconciliation talks, which he said had led to the release of hundreds of political prisoners and the return of opposition figures from exile. President Donald Trump said he knew nothing about Machado’s return but hoped she was safe. The article notes that Machado had given her Nobel award to Trump, although the Nobel committee said the prize cannot be revoked, shared or transferred.

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado has returned to Venezuela after nearly a year away, her team confirmed to CBS News. Machado announced her arrival on social media, writing, “I am here. With you,” and later celebrating her return to Caracas. Her senior adviser, David Smoalnsky, described the homecoming as an important step toward a democratic transition and free, fair, verifiable presidential elections. Machado’s team said she returned to stand with Venezuelans and advance a peaceful, inclusive transition, while thanking President Donald Trump and the U.S. government for their support. Machado had secretly left Venezuela in December with help from a private U.S. rescue team to accept the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. She had been barred from leaving by the government of then-President Nicolás Maduro, which considers her a fugitive and accuses her of advocating military intervention. Her return follows earlier unsuccessful attempts to enter Venezuela, including three refusals within 24 hours in September, according to Smoalnsky. After arriving, Machado visited a church in Lara state, where supporters greeted her with embraces and cheers. Former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, now living in Spain, welcomed her return and said he would join her “very soon.” President Trump said he hoped Machado was safe, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio attributed the conditions for her return to U.S.-supported reconciliation talks and called for political freedoms to be respected. The article places Machado’s return amid uncertainty about Venezuela’s political future. Since Maduro’s removal, acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally, has led the country with the Trump administration’s approval. Rodríguez has remained in office beyond her authorized period, and no election date has been set. Machado and her allies are pressing for a presidential election, while U.S. officials have prioritized economic stabilization.

María Corina Machado has returned to Venezuela after nearly a year abroad, receiving a large and enthusiastic welcome from supporters. She announced her arrival on social media, while her ally Edmundo González confirmed she was back on Venezuelan soil and said he also planned to return. Videos placed Machado in Barquisimeto, where crowds greeted her outside a church; supporters then lined roads and highways as she travelled toward Caracas. The journey took eight hours, and tens of thousands reportedly welcomed her in the capital. Machado said her return was for the reunion of families, the release of political prisoners and Venezuela’s freedom. Machado had left Venezuela in December after spending a year in hiding. She was barred from challenging Nicolás Maduro in the 2024 presidential election, which her movement is widely believed to have won, though Maduro refused to relinquish power. After Maduro was captured in January, many expected US president Donald Trump to support Machado’s rise to power. Instead, Trump’s administration cultivated a relationship with interim president Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice-president. The article says the Trump administration reportedly opposed Machado’s return because it could complicate that relationship. Trump said he knew little about her return but hoped she was safe. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attributed the conditions for her return to US-supported reconciliation talks, which he said had helped free political prisoners and enabled opposition figures to return from exile. Although Venezuelan officials had previously suggested Machado could be arrested if she came back, security services did not appear to interfere with her journey. The article suggests Washington may have approved her return. Machado is calling for a new presidential election by July 2027, but it remains uncertain whether the US supports that timetable, given its oil partnership with Rodríguez’s government.