María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, confirmed her return to Venezuela after nearly a year in exile. In a brief post on X, she wrote, “Estoy aquí. Con ustedes,” indicating that she had finally crossed the border. Machado, 60, had previously made at least seven attempts to re‑enter the country, according to sources from her party. She left Venezuela in December 2025 to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and had been living in clandestine exile amid the wave of arrests that followed President Nicolás Maduro’s controversial re‑election in 2024. Her ally and former presidential candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, celebrated the news on X. He wrote, “¡Venezuela! Me emociona muchísimo anunciarles que nuestra líder, mi querida María Corina, está en territorio venezolano. Hoy es un día muy importante para los venezolanos.” He added, “Muy pronto estaré con ustedes y con ella para que nuestro país avance verdaderamente hacia la libertad. Ustedes lo saben, esto es hasta el final.” González Urrutia was Machado’s running mate in the July 28, 2024 presidential election, in which he claims to have won, although the official results were disputed. The opposition has not yet provided details on how Machado returned or her current plans in Venezuela.
Article source: El Comercio | Image credit: El Comercio