María Corina Machado, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Venezuelan opposition leader, has returned to her homeland after nearly a year in exile and a succession of unsuccessful attempts to return. In December 2025, Machado had secretly departed Venezuela to receive her Nobel Peace Prize. Nicolás Maduro, the country’s long-time leader, was apprehended by US forces and transported to New York to face criminal charges mere weeks later.
Machado has expressed his admiration for US President Donald Trump for initiating the perilous operation; however, Washington has permitted Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, to serve as interim president.
Machado has been endeavouring to reclaim her position on Venezuela’s political stage over the past few months, as discussions regarding the country’s future progressed without her direct involvement. One of her primary demands of Delcy Rodríguez’s government was to set a date for the presidential elections, and she called on Venezuelans to take to the streets this past week.
She had alleged that Rodríguez’s government was apprehensive about her return. The opposition leader’s return to Venezuela has shifted the question of her role in a political landscape shaped by negotiations among Chavismo, various sectors of the opposition, and the United States. Rather than focusing on the timing of her return, the focus is now on the role she could potentially play.
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