Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has reportedly returned to the country following more than 10 months in exile. Machado announced her arrival on social media over the weekend, declaring to her followers that she was back on domestic soil, a statement swiftly corroborated by fellow opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez on the platform X.

Footage circulated by the Comando Con Venezuela political organization captured Machado arriving at a church in Lara, where she was greeted by gathered supporters. Machado's previous disappearance followed a brief arrest in January 2025, after which she resurfaced in Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her opposition to former President Nicolas Maduro, who was controversially removed from Caracas by the US military in January 2026.

Since Maduro's removal, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has functioned as acting president under the endorsement of the US regime. Rodriguez has allegedly cooperated closely with Washington on domestic reforms and a strategic arrangement granting the US control over substantial Venezuelan oil reserves. Despite widespread public pressure and prior promises, Rodriguez has delayed scheduling elections, while the US regime insists that the nation is supposedly not yet ready for a democratic transition.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed on social media that the conditions facilitating Machado's return are a direct consequence of US-backed reconciliation talks. Meanwhile, the US leadership has previously expressed skepticism regarding Machado's domestic standing, though she famously presented her Nobel medal to Donald Trump during a White House visit earlier this year, an act that seemingly secured favourable remarks from the American leader.

Source: www.aljazeera.com