Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado Returns After Months in Exile

Reuters

María Machado among her supporters in Venezuela.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has returned to a tense political climate in her home country after more than 10 months in exile.

"I am here. With you," Machado wrote on X on Sunday.

Her ally, former presidential candidate Edmundo González, confirmed the news minutes later, writing: "I am thrilled to announce to you that our leader, my dear María Corina, is on Venezuelan soil."

In January, a month after Machado left Venezuela to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway, the United States seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, her political rival.

The Trump administration subsequently backed Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in as interim president and later signed an oil agreement with Washington.

On Sunday, Machado was photographed attending Mass at a church in Venezuela’s Lara state, where supporters gathered around her, embracing her and holding her hands.

"Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!" González said.

He added that he will soon join Machado in Venezuela to advance the country "toward freedom".

An advisor to Machado said in September that over the previous few weeks Machado had attempted seven times to return to Venezuela, but was denied each time.

It's unclear what Machado plans to do next now that she's back, but she has previously said she would run for president again if an election were held.

A staunch supporter of democracy, Machado won an independent presidential primary election - held outside the Maduro government's official election authority - in 2023, earning more than 90% of the vote.

Despite winning the primary, Maduro's government barred Machado from running for office, accusing her of fraud and tax violations. Machado denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated.

In the 2024 election, Machado's ally González ran in her place against Maduro.

The electoral authority, which is closely aligned with the government, declared Maduro the winner without making detailed voting tallies public.

The opposition argued that González won the election, not Maduro, uploading copies of the voting tallies as evidence.

In a statement shared with Margaret Brennan of CBS News, the BBC's US partner, a spokesperson for Machado called her return "a major step toward a democratic transition and free, fair, and verifiable presidential elections in the near future".

"We thank President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the US Government, Congress, and allied governments for their continued leadership and support," her spokesperson, David Smolansky, added.

Source: BBC



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