Opposition leader Machado returns to Venezuela — NPR

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado has returned to Venezuela after more than 10 months in exile. She announced her arrival on social media, writing: “I am here. With you.” This was reported by NPR.

Confirmation from an ally

Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González confirmed on X that Machado had arrived in the country. He also said that he would soon be by her side and called her return an important day for Venezuelans.

Machado appeared in Venezuela for the first time since December. Before leaving the country, she had been in hiding there for 11 months following a brief detention during a protest in January 2025. After secretly leaving, Machado appeared in Norway in December 2025, where she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful challenge to the authoritarian government of Nicolás Maduro.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Demand for elections

Machado’s return comes amid uncertainty over Venezuela’s democratic future and the role of the United States in the country. Following Maduro’s removal, the country has been led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime ally of the former president.

According to NPR, Rodríguez has already exceeded the period for which she was authorized to serve as acting president after Maduro’s capture, and an election date has still not been set. Machado and her allies are demanding that a date for presidential elections be established, while U.S. officials are primarily emphasizing economic stabilization.