María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s leading opposition figure and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, announced Sunday (March 1) that she plans to return to Venezuela within the coming weeks — her first return to the country following the U.S. military operation that captured former President Nicolás Maduro in January.
Machado did not give a specific date for her return. Instead, according to NBC News, she said one of her main goals will be to prepare “for a new and gigantic electoral victory,” signaling her intention to push for fresh elections in the South American nation.
In a video posted to social media, as reported by Bloomberg, Machado praised the U.S. government for removing Maduro, who was seized in an early morning raid on Caracas. She also called on her supporters to “strengthen the unity of Venezuelans that began with the primaries,” referring to the 2023 primary process in which she won the vote to become the opposition’s chosen candidate to challenge Maduro.
Machado, 58, was barred from running in Venezuela’s July 2024 presidential election and was replaced on the ballot by Edmundo González. After Maduro was declared the victor of that election, widespread protests erupted, followed by a government crackdown. The opposition maintained that González was the real winner, backed by what it described as credible evidence.
Maduro, who now faces drug-trafficking-related charges in U.S. courts, has pleaded not guilty. Machado controversially presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump following the military intervention that led to Maduro’s capture.
Not everyone is welcoming her return. Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s acting president since Maduro’s capture, has warned that Machado “will have to answer” if she sets foot back in the country.
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