Nobel Laureate Machado Returns to Venezuela After Exile

Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition leader María Corina Machado has returned to Venezuela after nearly 10 months in exile. She returned to the country on Sunday (October 25), reigniting debate over its political future and democratic transition.

According to the Associated Press (AP), Machado travelled to Norway in December last year to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Before leaving the country, she had spent nearly 11 months in hiding. Announcing her return on social media on Sunday, she wrote, “I’m here. With you all.”

Machado is one of the leading opposition figures in Venezuela. She was barred from running in the disputed 2024 presidential election. Edmundo González Urrutia contested the election on behalf of the opposition coalition with her support. The opposition claimed that González had won the vote, but the government of then-President Nicolás Maduro declared itself the winner.

On January 3 this year, Maduro was ousted and detained during a US military operation. His former vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, subsequently assumed the role of interim president. The administration of US President Donald Trump has also been working with Rodríguez. However, no date has been announced for a new presidential election since Maduro’s removal from power.

Machado had previously sought Trump’s support. During a meeting at the White House in January, she presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal. However, Trump has continued to back interim President Rodríguez. Asked about Machado’s return on Sunday, Trump said he knew nothing about it but described her as “a very nice woman”.

Uncertainty remains over Venezuela’s democratic future following Machado’s return. She and her supporters have been demanding that a date be announced for a new presidential election. US officials, meanwhile, have emphasised the need to stabilise the country’s economy and rebuild its political institutions before holding an election.

Sources: AP, Reuters