Key facts
- Machado announced her return on social media on Sunday.
- Edmundo Gonzalez, a former presidential candidate for Machado's movement, confirmed her arrival.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado returned to the South American nation on Sunday after nearly a year outside the country, she announced on social media. Her return risks straining ties with the US Trump administration, which she has sought to cultivate as an ally. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed support for interim President Delcy Rodriguez and hailed deals on oil production and other business ventures by US companies in Venezuela. Machado was barred by Maduro's government from exiting Venezuela but secretly left in late 2025 to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Her ally, former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, confirmed her arrival.