CARACAS — Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado has returned home following several failed attempts that strained her ties with US President Donald Trump’s administration.“In Venezuela! Together! For freedom!” she posted on X, alongside a video of her greeting a crowd of cheering supporters that surrounded her car, waving Venezuelan flags and blasting joyous music, as she made her way to Caracas on Sunday night.After more than 10 months in exile, Machado has returned home to a political landscape that has been reshaped by the United States, her ally, without her involvement.”This country is giving lessons to everyone,” she shouted as her convoy entered the capital, leaning out of the sunroof to shake hands and hug raucous supportersOn Sunday morning, Machado appeared at a church in western Lara state and was greeted by bystanders who sang the national anthem and shouted “liberty!” as she left in an SUV, a Reuters witness said.She then traveled to the capital in a journey that took eight hours because of crowds. By the time she neared Caracas, festooned in rosaries handed to her by followers, the highway was all but blocked by cheering supporters.Machado’s return from exile raises questions about the uncertain future of Venezuela’s government as it works to transition into a democracy through US-brokered negotiations – that so far have excluded her.US President Donald Trump said he didn’t know about her return but that he hoped she was safe.“I don’t know anything about it, but I think she’s a very nice woman,” Trump said when CNN’s Julia Benbrook asked about Machado’s whereabouts. “She gave me her Nobel Prize, so how can I say anything else? And I hope she’s safe.”Machado left Venezuela in December for Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, which she was awarded for promoting democratic rights in her country.A month after she left, the US toppled Maduro and began working with the acting Venezuelan government on its democratic transition and political reconciliation, a process that involved several other high-profile opposition figures.Dinorah Figuera, who has been leading the opposition bloc’s negotiations with the government, said Machado’s return – after she was repeatedly refused entry back into Venezuela – was a result of Maduro’s ouster and the ongoing talks.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed those remarks and added: “The United States expects the freedoms of all sectors of Venezuelan politics to continue to be respected. Likewise, we expect all political actors to support these talks, which represent the best chance Venezuela has had in thirty years to peacefully achieve not just a free and fair election but an enduring democracy.”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. There have been reports that the US was involved in delaying her return, which it has denied.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. Her ability to return to her country was always contingent on approval from the Trump administration, which it appears has now been granted.Machado won an independent presidential primary election in 2023, earning more than 90% of the vote.Despite winning the primary, Maduro’s government barred Machado from running for office, accusing her of fraud and tax violations. Machado denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated. She spent her final days in the country hiding in safehouses before her fleeing to Norway to accept the Nobel Prize.In the 2024 election, Machado’s ally González ran in her place against Maduro.The electoral authority, which is closely aligned with the government, declared Maduro the winner without making detailed voting tallies public.The opposition argued that González won the election, not Maduro, uploading copies of the voting tallies as evidence.Maduro was removed from the country by US forces in January. The Trump administration then backed his deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, as leader and she was sworn in as interim president.Maduro is currently jailed in New York where he faces drugs, weapons and torture charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
Keep Up to Date with our Weekly Newsletter
