Venezuela's opposition leader Machado returns after months in exile, as doubts over democracy deepen

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado looks on during a press conference at Capitol Hill with members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, in Washington, D.C., U.S., Jan. 20, 2026. Kylie Cooper | ReutersOpposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado reappeared in Venezuela Sunday for the first time since December, about a month before the U.S. military deposed the country's then-President Nicolás Maduro.Machado announced her arrival on social media, writing, "I am here. With you."Meanwhile, Venezuela's opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez wrote on X, confirming Machado's arrival and saying he would be next to her "very soon.""Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!" he wrote. "You know it, this is until the end."Machado's homecoming, after more than 10 months in exile, comes as doubts about Venezuela's democratic future — and the U.S.'s role in it — deepen.Since Maduro's ouster, acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally who received the Trump administration's blessing to succeed him, has run Venezuela.Rodríguez has exceeded the time she was authorized to serve as acting president following Maduro's capture and no election is scheduled.Machado went into hiding in Venezuela for 11 months after being briefly detained following a protest in January 2025. After a clandestine escape, she reappeared in Norway that December, where she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful challenge to Maduro's authoritarian government.Machado and her allies have been demanding a date for a presidential election in Venezuela, but U.S. officials have emphasized economic stabilization first.