Hundreds protest for return of Machado to Venezuela

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Caracas on Thursday, vociferously demanding the return of exiled opposition leader Maria Corina Machado to Venezuela. The crowd, visibly agitated, chanted her name, holding a large Venezuelan flag aloft. The demonstrators were vocal about their frustration, with one 65-year-old man questioning why Machado was barred from re-entering her homeland after yet another failed attempt.

Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, had been blocked from entering Venezuela on Tuesday, according to sources from her political party. The same day, Venezuela's interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, met with US President Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The demonstrators questioned the discrepancy between the warm reception Rodriguez received in the United States and the treatment Machado faced upon attempting to return to Venezuela.

Delcy Rodriguez, who succeeded President Nicolas Maduro following his ouster by US forces in January, has effectively governed under Washington's influence. The White House has denied any allegations that Trump vetoed Machado's return to Venezuela. Machado had emerged from hiding in December, attending the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Norway before briefly visiting the United States, after which she decided to make Panama her base of exile.