Machado returns to Venezuela, testing US-backed election talks
Why it matters: Her push for a faster presidential vote could strain a negotiation process Washington and the EU back.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday after nearly a year away, reentering a political fight shaped by US-backed negotiations over future elections. Her return drew large crowds along the route from Barquisimeto to Caracas, where supporters pressed for a presidential vote and hailed her as the country’s next leader. The talks now underway between acting President Delcy Rodriguez’s government and opposition groups that exclude Machado’s Vente Venezuela movement aim to overhaul the electoral council and top court before any election. Machado has said a presidential election should take place in 2027, while US President Donald Trump said last month it was too soon to consider democratic elections.