Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has announced her return to the country nearly a year after departing to accept the Nobel peace prize.
Using social media on Sunday, Machado stated she was present and with her supporters. With you,” she wrote on X on Sunday lunchtime.
Edmundo González, her close ally currently in exile, verified her arrival by posting that their leader was back on Venezuelan territory.
He described the day as significant for the country, noting that their collective voice has returned to guide the ongoing process, and added that he plans to return soon. “Today is a very important day for Venezuelans.
While her method of re-entering Venezuela remained unclear, social media footage placed the 59-year-old politician in Barquisimeto, the capital of Lara state located roughly 220 miles west of Caracas. It was not immediately clear how Machado, 59, had managed to return to Venezuela but footage on social media showed she was in Barquisimeto, the capital of Lara state, which is about 220 miles west of the capital, Caraca.
Visuals captured her inside the Sanctuary of the Divine Shepherdess church surrounded by crowds recording with mobile phones.
Reports indicate the Trump administration opposed her arrival over concerns it might disrupt Washington’s relationship with interim president Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed governance after Nicolás Maduro was removed in January.
Machado and Rodríguez maintain a sharp political rivalry.
Machado departed covertly last December prior to Maduro’s capture and had unsuccessfully attempted to return multiple times in recent months, including following June’s northern coast earthquake.
Following Maduro’s ouster, expectations existed that Donald Trump would support Machado assuming power, given her movement widely won the 2024 presidential election despite Maduro refusing to cede control. Many had expected Donald Trump to give Machado his blessing to take power, after Maduro was seized.
Instead, the US administration backed Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice-president and now oversees a territory functioning effectively as a US protectorate.
Machado has repeatedly commended Trump for the operation targeting Maduro and presented him with her 2025 Nobel peace prize medal, awarded for her peaceful resistance against the authoritarian administration.
When questioned by journalists regarding her return, Trump stated he lacked information on the matter while describing her positively as a very nice woman who gave him her Nobel prize.
He expressed hope for her safety while reaffirming that conditions in Venezuela are proceeding well under the current arrangement.
