Opposition leader María Machado returns to Venezuela

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has returned home to a fraught political landscape after over 10 months in exile.

“I am here. With you,” Machado wrote on X on Sunday.

Her ally, former presidential candidate Edmundo González, confirmed the news minutes later, writing: “I am thrilled to announce to you that our leader, my dear María Corina, is on Venezuelan soil.”

In January, a month after Machado left Venezuela to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway, the US seized her opponent, President Nicolás Maduro.

The Trump administration then backed his deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, as leader, and she was sworn in as interim president, later signing an oil deal with the US.

Machado was photographed on Sunday attending Mass at a church in the Venezuelan state of Lara, surrounded by supporters hugging her and clasping her hands.

“Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!” González said.

He added that he will soon join Machado in Venezuela to advance the country “toward freedom”.

An advisor to Machado said in September that over the previous few weeks Machado had attempted seven times to return to Venezuela, but was denied each time.

It’s unclear what Machado plans to do next now that she’s back, but she has previously said she would run for president again if an election were held.