Nobel laureate María Corina Machado returns to Venezuela after nearly a year in exile

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday after nearly a year outside the country, announcing her arrival on social media (Associated Press via NPR).

“I’m here. With you all,” Machado wrote in a post on X. According to her campaign team, she made her first public appearance among worshippers at the Church of Santa Rosa in Lara state, in western Venezuela.

Machado had been outside Venezuela since December 2025, when she left clandestinely to travel to Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, after 11 months in hiding following a brief detention after a protest in January 2025. Her return comes as Venezuela is run by interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who took over after United States forces captured former leader Nicolás Maduro in January.

Opposition figure Edmundo González Urrutia, who ran against Maduro in the disputed 2024 presidential election, confirmed Machado’s return on X, calling it “a very important day for Venezuelans” and saying he expected to join her soon. Machado has called for elections to be held soon, while Washington has said Venezuela must first stabilise.

Speaking to reporters as he left the White House on Sunday afternoon, US President Donald Trump said he knew nothing about Machado’s return, describing her as “a very nice woman” and adding: “And I hope she’s safe.” Machado did not disclose details of her current location or how she returned (Reuters via TimesLIVE).

Sources

• Associated Press via NPR
• Reuters via TimesLIVE