Machado returns to Venezuela from exile
Opposition leader María Corina Machado is back after more than 10 months in exile, greeted by large crowds as her convoy reached Caracas.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has returned home after more than 10 months in exile.
Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, first appeared at a Mass in Lara state, in the west of the country. She then joined a convoy to Caracas, arriving late on Sunday. Crowds, put by several reports in the tens of thousands, lined the route and gathered in the capital.
Machado secretly left Venezuela in December 2025 to travel to Oslo for the Nobel ceremony. She had spent long periods in hiding inside the country after the disputed 2024 presidential election.
Her allies called the return a step toward free and fair elections. Machado has said she wants talks with interim president Delcy Rodríguez, who called the return a "show". Machado still faces charges in Venezuela, including treason, which she says are politically motivated.
The return comes during a period of upheaval. Nicolás Maduro was removed from power by U.S. forces on Jan. 3, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has credited reconciliation talks backed by Washington for allowing Machado's safe return.
Whether talks with the government lead to a timetable for new elections will be the key question in the weeks ahead.
This summary is original reporting by tehworldnews, written after checking the facts against several major international news outlets and official statements.