Machado returns to Venezuela to urge democratic transition

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado greets supporters after her arrival in Caracas on Sunday. | AFP-JIJI

Oct 26, 2026

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado returned to Caracas in a surprise move that could pose the biggest test yet to acting President Delcy Rodriguez’s political opening and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump’s strategy for post-Nicolas Maduro Venezuela.

“I’m here, with you,” Machado posted on X on Sunday, confirming her return after months abroad. She gave no details on how she entered Venezuela, but her party shared photos and videos of her arriving at a church in Lara state, where emotional supporters embraced her and said, “She will be the next president of Venezuela.”

Machado’s team thanked Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their support, signaling an effort to underscore her ties with Washington even as her return risks complicating the administration’s Venezuela strategy.

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