María Corina Machado returns to Venezuela after 10 months in exile

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday after more than 10 months in exile, attending Mass in Lara state before travelling to Caracas in a caravan of supporters. Machado announced her arrival on X with the message: “I am here. With you.”

How did Machado’s return unfold?

Machado was photographed at Mass at a church in Lara state on Sunday, surrounded by supporters who hugged her and clasped her hands. She then travelled to the capital in a caravan of cheering supporters. She was photographed smiling as she leaned out of a car’s sunroof entering Caracas late on Sunday night.

Who confirmed she was back?

Edmundo González, the former presidential candidate and Machado ally, confirmed her arrival. “I am thrilled to announce to you that our leader, my dear María Corina, is on Venezuelan soil,” González said in a statement. “Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!” He said he would soon join her in Venezuela.

Why was Machado living in exile?

Machado left Venezuela in January on a speedboat under cover of darkness to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. Nicolás Maduro’s government barred her from running for office, accusing her of fraud and tax violations; Machado denied the allegations and called them politically motivated. She won an independent presidential primary in 2023 with more than 90% of the vote, and spent her final days in the country hiding in safehouses.

What changed in Venezuela while she was away?

In January, a month after Machado’s departure, US forces seized Maduro, who is jailed in New York facing drugs, weapons and torture charges; he has pleaded not guilty. The Trump administration backed his deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in as interim president and later signed an oil deal granting very favourable terms to the US. Rodríguez has said elections will be held, without setting a date.

Did Washington approve her return?

A Machado advisor said in September she had tried seven times to return and was refused each time. There were reports that the US was involved in delaying her return, which Washington denied. Her ability to re-enter had been contingent on approval from the Trump administration, which appears now to have been granted. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the conditions for her safe return were “the direct result of the US supported reconciliation talks”, which he said had already seen hundreds of political prisoners freed; rights group Foro Penal has reported releases of political prisoners in Venezuela.

What did Trump say?

Asked about her return by reporters on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said: “I don’t know anything about” it. “I think she’s a very nice woman. She gave me her Nobel Prize, so how can I say anything else? And I hope she’s safe,” he said. Machado gave her Nobel award to Trump at the White House in January; the prize committee has said the award “cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others”.

What happens next?

It is unclear what Machado plans to do now that she is back, though she has previously said she would run for president again if an election were held. Her spokesman, David Smolansky, called the return “a major step toward a democratic transition and free, fair, and verifiable presidential elections in the near future”. In the 2024 election, González ran in her place; the electoral authority declared Maduro the winner without publishing detailed tallies, while the opposition said González had won.

Frequently asked questions

Is María Corina Machado back in Venezuela?

Yes. Machado attended Mass in Lara state and travelled to Caracas on Sunday after more than 10 months in exile, a return confirmed by her ally Edmundo González.

Who is Venezuela’s president now?

Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president after the Trump administration backed her, following the US seizure of Nicolás Maduro in January. Maduro is jailed in New York facing drugs, weapons and torture charges.

Why was Machado barred from running for office?

Nicolás Maduro’s government barred her from holding office, accusing her of fraud and tax violations. Machado denied the allegations and called them politically motivated.

Will Machado run for president again?

Machado has previously said she would run for president again if an election were held, but it is unclear what she plans to do now that she has returned.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. Church Interior — Matt Bango / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)