Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returns from exile

Machado announced her return on social media on Sunday and appeared among worshippers at a church in Lara state in western Venezuela, NPR and the BBC reported. Her ally Edmundo González, who is in exile in Spain, confirmed her arrival and said he expected to join her soon.

Machado left Venezuela in a clandestine escape in 2025 and received the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway in December. Rodríguez took over after US forces captured Nicolás Maduro in January. Machado has called for elections soon, while Washington says Venezuela must first stabilize, NPR reported.

Why it matters: A leading opposition figure is back inside the country as the question of when Venezuela will hold a presidential election remains open.