Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado reappeared in Venezuela Sunday for the first time since December, while no presidential election is scheduled.
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Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday for the first time since December after more than 10 months in exile.
Machado announced her arrival on social media, writing, “I am here. With you.” Opposition leader Edmundo González also posted on X confirming Machado had arrived and said he would be “next to her very soon,” adding, “Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!”
Machado’s return comes as questions over Venezuela’s democratic future and the role of the United States deepen. Since the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela has been run by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally who received the Trump administration’s blessing to succeed him, according to the reporting.
Rodríguez has exceeded the time she was authorized to serve as acting president, and no election is scheduled.
Machado went into hiding in Venezuela for 11 months after being briefly detained following a protest in January 2025. She left the country in a clandestine escape, reappearing in December in Norway, where she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful challenge to Maduro’s authoritarian government.
Machado and her allies have been demanding a date for a presidential election, while U.S. officials have emphasized economic stabilization first.
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