Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has returned to the country after nearly a year in exile, reappearing at a church in Lara to a jubilant reception from supporters.
Machado confirmed her return in a social media message posted early on Sunday, writing: “I’m here. With you all.” Photographs showed her greeting supporters and posing for pictures inside the church in central-western Venezuela.
Her homecoming could create tension with the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has backed Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, after Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a raid in January.
Rodríguez, who had served as Maduro’s deputy, was selected as interim president by Mr Trump and his team. She later signed an oil deal with the United States in August, while the US president has repeatedly voiced support for her administration and said in September that it was too soon to consider democratic elections.
Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for what the judges described as “her efforts to advance democracy in Venezuela”. She had secretly left the country in late 2025 to receive the award in Norway after spending more than a year largely in hiding.
Her departure came after she was initially prevented by Maduro’s government from leaving Venezuela. The former administration had barred her from standing for office, accusing her of fraud and tax violations — allegations she has consistently described as politically motivated.
Machado won more than 90 per cent of the vote in an independent opposition primary in 2023, after announcing her intention to run for president the following year. She was unable to contest the election, with Edmundo González Urrutia standing as the opposition candidate in her place.
Mr González Urrutia welcomed her return, calling Machado the country’s “sovereign voice”. He wrote: “Venezuela! I am thrilled to announce to you that our leader, my dear Maria Corina, is on Venezuelan soil.
“Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns to lead and guide this process!
“Very soon I will be with you and with her so that our country truly advances toward freedom.”
Machado has not disclosed where she intends to base herself or how she re-entered Venezuela. She has previously said she would run for president again if fresh elections were held.
Her plans to return had reportedly caused friction in Washington, with US officials asking her to delay the trip. In June, she said she would do whatever was necessary to come home and help survivors of twin earthquakes that month, which killed at least 6,500 people and left thousands missing.
Machado has also argued that only a “serious, democratic government” can provide the stability required by investors. International energy firms committed last month to expanding projects in Venezuela during a signing ceremony overseen by Rodríguez and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Talks between a faction of the opposition and the interim government took place this month, focusing on changes to the top court and electoral council ahead of eventual elections. Machado’s political movement was not included in those discussions.
