Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado returns to country

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado is back in her home country after nearly a year in exile, her team confirmed to CBS News on Sunday.

“I am here. With you,” Machado posted in Spanish on X.

She did not disclose more details about her current location or how she returned.

Machado’s senior adviser David Smoalnsky said in a statement to CBS that her return is “a major step toward a democratic transition and free, fair, and verifiable presidential elections in the near future.”

“Machado returns to stand with Venezuelans in their pursuit of freedom, democracy, and justice, and to help advance a peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable transition leading to free, fair, and verifiable presidential elections, with guarantees for all,” he said, thanking President Trump, the U.S. government and others for “their continued leadership and support.”

Machado covertly snuck out of the South American country in December with a private U.S. rescue team to accept the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in Norway, her first public appearance in 11 months. The event was a month before the U.S. military deposed the country’s then-President Nicolás Maduro.

Machado, who was barred by Maduro’s government from exiting Venezuela, is considered a fugitive by the Venezuelan government, which accuses her of calling for military intervention against the country.

Edmundo Gonzalez, a former presidential candidate for Machado’s movement who has been living in Spain, confirmed her return in his own social media post and said he would be next to her “very soon.”

“Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!” he wrote. “You know it, this is until the end.”

After the news of her arrival, Machado was seen at a church in the state of Lara, west of Caracas. Dozens of supporters shook her hand and hugged her, with cellphones aloft to record her return, the Associated Press reported.

“María! María!” someone cried out, as another shouted, “Welcome to Venezuela!”

“Long live freedom, damn it!” a man yelled.

One woman wiped away tears and called it “a miracle” while another woman’s hands flew to her face as she saw Machado enter the church.

Asked by reporters Sunday about Machado’s return to Venezuela, President Trump said, “I don’t know anything about it, but I think she’s a very nice woman. She gave me her Nobel Prize. So how can I say anything else? And I hope she’s safe. She’s a very nice woman. But we’re doing really well in Venezuela.”

Machado made several failed attempts to return to her home country, including during the aftermath of the devastating June 24 double earthquakes.

In September, the opposition leader was denied entry into Venezuela three times over 24 hours, Smoalnsky said in a statement shared with CBS News’ Margaret Brennan and other journalists.

“She has attempted to enter the country by air and sea but has been turned away each time,” he said at the time.

Machado’s homecoming comes as doubts over Venezuela’s democratic future — and the U.S.’s role in it — deepen.

Since Maduro’s ouster, Venezuela has been run by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally who received the Trump administration’s blessing to succeed him.

Rodríguez has exceeded the time she was authorized to serve as acting president following Maduro’s capture and no election is scheduled.

Machado and her allies have been demanding a date for a presidential election in Venezuela, but U.S. officials have emphasized economic stabilization first.