Opposition leader Machado returns to Venezuela after 10 months in exile

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado returned to her country on Sunday after nearly a year in exile. Machado announced her return on the social media platform X, stating, “I am here. With you.” According to Euronews, her party claims she had made seven failed attempts to return over the previous three months from Panama, Curaçao, and the United States. El Pais reports that the Newsmax network claims Machado entered via Colombia and planned a public appearance the same day.

Machado had covertly left Venezuela in December 2025 to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. CBS News reports she left with a private U.S. rescue team a month before the U.S. military deposed then-President Nicolás Maduro. Euronews notes that following the seizure of Maduro, the U.S. allowed his deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, to serve as interim president. Machado's senior adviser, David Smoalnsky, told CBS News that her return is a major step toward a democratic transition and verifiable presidential elections.

The Venezuelan government considers Machado a fugitive, accusing her of calling for military intervention. While some have suggested Washington played a role in blocking her previous return attempts, Euronews reports that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied that claim.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, El Pais, CBS News, Euronews, CBC News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.