Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado Returns Home After Nearly a Year Abroad
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to her country on Sunday for the first time since December, re-entering a political landscape transformed by the U.S. ouster of Nicolás Maduro, Fox News Digital and NBC News reported.
Machado announced her return on social media. Fox News Digital translated her message as "I'm here. With you all," while NBC News rendered it as "I am here. With you."
Machado's Return and the Push for an Election
On Sunday afternoon, Machado walked into a church in Lara, west of Caracas, to applause from dozens of people who shook her hand and held up their phones to record her arrival, NBC News reported. She did not disclose how she returned, according to Fox News Digital.
Fellow opposition leader Edmundo González confirmed her arrival on X 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, according to both outlets.
Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 for her peaceful opposition to Maduro's government. She spent much of 2025 in hiding after being briefly detained following a January protest, then secretly left Venezuela and resurfaced in Norway in December to receive the prize, Fox News Digital reported. She presented the prize to President Donald Trump last week, the outlet reported.
Asked about her return on Sunday, Trump said, "I don't know anything about it, but I think she's a very nice woman. 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."
Rodríguez Still in Power
Venezuela is led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice president, who has the Trump administration's backing. NBC News reported that Rodríguez was initially supposed to serve only 90 days as acting president but has stayed in office and has not called an election.
U.S. forces captured Maduro in Caracas in January and took him to New York to face drug-related charges, which he has denied, NBC News reported. In September, Trump said it was too soon to consider democratic elections in Venezuela, with U.S. officials prioritizing economic stabilization, Fox News Digital reported.
Machado and her allies have pushed for an election date. Her return could complicate relations between the opposition, the interim government and Washington, Fox News Digital reported, noting a Reuters report in June that U.S. officials had asked Machado to delay her return.
A faction of the opposition and Rodríguez's government held talks this month on changes to Venezuela's Supreme Court and electoral authorities ahead of eventual elections; Machado's movement has not taken part, Fox News Digital reported, citing Reuters.
Image: Panoramic view of Caracas, Venezuela (file photo), Wilfredor, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: Fox News Digital, "Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado makes surprise return home after nearly a year abroad" (Oct. 25, 2026): https://www.foxnews.com/world/venezuelan-opposition-leader-maria-corina-machado-surprise-return-home-after-nearly-year-abroad ; NBC News, "Venezuela's opposition leader Machado returns after months in exile, as doubts over democracy deepen" (Oct. 25, 2026): https://www.nbcnews.com/world/south-america/venezuelas-opposition-leader-machado-returns-rcna605540
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