Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has returned to her home country following more than 10 months in exile. Her arrival was confirmed on Sunday through social media, with Machado posting a message stating, “I am here. With you.”
Edmundo González, the current opposition leader, verified the development on X, welcoming Machado back to Venezuelan soil. Footage circulated by the political organization Comando Con Venezuela showed the Nobel Peace Prize laureate appearing at a church in the state of Lara, where she was met by a crowd of supporters.
Context of the Return
Machado’s homecoming follows a period of significant political upheaval, including national protests calling for free elections. Her return comes shortly after the U.S. government seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attributed the conditions enabling her safe return to U.S.-backed reconciliation talks, which have recently facilitated the release of hundreds of political prisoners and the return of other opposition figures.
Machado had previously retreated from public life following a brief arrest in January 2025, later re-emerging in Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in challenging the Venezuelan leadership.
