Machado returns to Venezuela to press for election

María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday, ending months of exile to push for a presidential election. She reappeared in the country after spending time in Washington and touring several nations. Her return marks a new phase in her campaign to force a vote under the current administration.

Machado had left Venezuela in December following her receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. Before that departure, she had been in hiding since January 9, 2025. She was briefly detained on that date after joining an anti-government protest in Caracas. Weeks after she left the country, U.S. military forces captured President Nicolás Maduro in an operation in the capital.

The industrial engineer first challenged the ruling party in 2004 while co-founding Súmate, an organization that promoted a referendum to recall Hugo Chávez. That initiative failed, and Machado faced conspiracy charges. She later won a seat in the National Assembly in 2010, receiving more votes than any other candidate. During a session, she interrupted Chávez to call business expropriations theft. Chávez responded by saying an eagle does not hunt a fly.

Machado ran for president for the first time in 2012 but finished third in the opposition primary. In 2014, the National Assembly ousted her from office, and the Comptroller General barred her from public office for a year. The government also accused her of plotting to kill Maduro, a charge she denied. She maintained a low profile for nine years before announcing a new presidential bid in 2023.

She won the 2024 opposition primary with more than 90% of the vote. Ruling party loyalists in the judiciary prevented her from appearing on the ballot, so she backed Edmundo González. Opposition voting records showed González defeated Maduro by a two-to-one margin. The National Electoral Council, however, declared Maduro the winner of the July 28, 2024, contest. The government arrested more than 2,000 people in the protests that followed.

Since Maduro’s removal, the Rodríguez government has faced pressure to set a date for a new election. Venezuela’s highest court allowed Rodríguez to serve as acting president for up to 90 days, with the possibility of a 90-day extension by the National Assembly. The assembly did not vote to extend her term, which expired in July. Machado and her allies now demand a new presidential vote.

According to her party, Machado made seven unsuccessful attempts to return to Venezuela before her Sunday arrival. Opposition activists claim the government blocked her return, a stance Venezuelan authorities deny. U.S. administration officials have also denied holding her back, though they said they advised her against returning on some occasions due to safety concerns.

Machado had promised to return to Venezuela as soon as security conditions allowed. She stated in December that her return would not depend on whether the regime left power. Now back in the country, she is working to establish a timeline for the next election.