Opposition leader Machado returns to Venezuela

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado arrived in her homeland on Sunday, having been in exile for nearly a year. The 59-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner made her triumphant return to Barquisimeto, greeting supporters at a church with a speech expressing her joy at being free.

Machado's return is expected to put pressure on interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who has been leading the country since the U.S.-backed ousting of former leader Nicolas Maduro in January. Machado's party revealed that she had made seven prior attempts to return to Venezuela, all blocked by authorities.

Venezuelan authorities declared Maduro the winner of the 2024 presidential election, but the opposition claims opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the vote. Urrutia, a close ally of Machado, praised her return to Venezuela and said he would soon join her.

U.S. President Donald Trump, asked about Machado's arrival, expressed his surprise and praised her for giving him her Nobel medal. Trump also commented positively on Rodriguez's administration, particularly her cooperation on allowing American companies to explore Venezuela's oil reserves.

While Machado was not part of recent negotiations for reforms in Venezuela's judiciary, the opposition welcomed her return, calling her "Brave MCM." Her party has demanded elections next year and the removal of a disqualification that barred her from running in the last presidential election.