María Corina Machado returns to Venezuela after 10 months abroad
What’s next: Her return could raise pressure for elections as supporters gather in Caracas and beyond.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday after 10 months abroad, revealing her arrival in posts on X and making public appearances in Lara state and Caracas. Machado first appeared at the Church of Santa Rosa in western Venezuela, where worshippers surrounded her, then traveled to the capital as hundreds of supporters crowded around her car. Opposition figure Edmundo González called it “a very important day for Venezuelans” in a post on X. Machado has been urging that elections be held soon, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio linked her return to U.S.-backed reconciliation talks and said political freedoms should be respected.