Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has returned to Venezuela after more than 10 months in exile, according to Al Jazeera, which reported the news on 25 October 2026. Ms Machado announced her arrival on social media on Sunday, writing: “I am here. With you.” Opposition figure Edmundo González confirmed it on X, saying she was on Venezuelan soil, Al Jazeera said.
The Comando Con Venezuela group shared footage of her arriving at a church in Lara, where supporters greeted her, the outlet said.
Background to the Return
Al Jazeera says Ms Machado left public life after a brief arrest in January 2025 and re-emerged in Norway in December, where she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to challenge then-President Nicolás Maduro. It reports that US military forces removed Mr Maduro from Caracas in January 2026 and that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has been acting president since, with the endorsement of US President Donald Trump. According to Al Jazeera, Ms Rodríguez has cooperated with the Trump administration on reforms and on a deal giving the United States control of more than 65 billion barrels’ worth of Venezuela’s oil reserves.
Ms Machado had tried several times to re-enter the country, Al Jazeera reported, citing her team, which said in September that she had made seven attempts within a few weeks.
Calls for an Election
Al Jazeera says Ms Rodríguez’s time in office has run well beyond the 90 days she was authorised to serve and that she has not called an election, despite public demand and a promise it says she made at the UN General Assembly in September. The outlet reports that the United States maintains the country is not yet ready. On 22 October, it said, thousands of Venezuelans took part in what it described as the first nationwide opposition protest in nearly two years, demanding elections.
Reactions
Al Jazeera reported that Mr Trump told reporters on Sunday that he knew nothing about the return, described Ms Machado as a very nice woman and said he hoped she was safe. It added that he had said in January that she lacked support and respect within the country. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that her safe return was the direct result of US-supported reconciliation talks, which he said had freed hundreds of political prisoners and allowed hundreds of opposition figures to come home from exile, Al Jazeera reported.
Why It Matters
Ms Machado’s return puts the Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition leader back inside Venezuela just as pressure for an election date is building. What happens next depends on choices still to be made, including whether the acting government sets a date for a vote and how the opposition organises around her presence. Mr Rubio’s remarks credit US-backed reconciliation talks for making her return possible, while Mr Trump said he knew nothing about it.
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