Maria Corina Machado, the Nobel Peace Prize‑winning opposition leader, announced on Sunday that she has returned to Venezuela after nearly a year in exile. She posted a brief message on X: "I am here. With you."
Machado left Venezuela in late 2025 to receive the Nobel award and has tried at least seven times to re‑enter, each attempt thwarted by Venezuelan authorities.
Edmundo González Urrutia, a fellow exile and presidential hopeful, echoed the announcement and called the occasion a "very important day for Venezuelans" while promising to join her and advance the country toward freedom.
The United States had earlier seized Nicolás Maduro and transferred him to New York for criminal charges, a move Machado lauded as bold.
With her return now sanctioned, Machado is set to resume leading the opposition coalition and begin negotiations with the Maduro regime.