Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returns from exile

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday after nearly ten months in exile. BBC News, Mercopress, and Euronews all reported that Machado announced her return on the social media platform X, writing that she was back in the country. Mercopress reported that she reappeared at a Mass at the Divina Pastora sanctuary in Barquisimeto, in Lara state, where she was surrounded by supporters. [1][2][3]

Mercopress and Euronews both reported that Machado's return followed multiple failed attempts to re-enter Venezuela. Mercopress specified that she had made at least seven failed attempts to go back. BBC News reported that Machado had previously left the country under cover of darkness on a speedboat to travel to Norway. [1][2][3]

Machado served as a member of the National Assembly of Venezuela from 2011 to 2014 and has led opposition to the administrations of Hugo Chávez, Nicolás Maduro, and Delcy Rodríguez. Machado left Venezuela covertly in December 2025 to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Euronews reported. In January 2026, United States forces captured former president Nicolás Maduro, as FTMQ World reported earlier. BBC News reported that the Trump administration subsequently backed deputy Delcy Rodríguez as interim president, who later signed an oil agreement with the United States. [1][3][9][11]

Machado carried out much of her political activity while based in the United States and Panama during her period abroad, Euronews reported. Prior to her return, an alliance of Venezuelan opposition parties reaffirmed its support for Machado as leader and presented proposals for a democratic transition, as FTMQ World reported earlier. [3][11]