Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado returned to Venezuela after her exile.

Maria Corina Machado, one of the leading opposition figures against Nicolas Maduro's regime in Venezuela, announced that she had returned to her country after nearly a year of exile.

In a brief message to the public announcing her return, Machado said, "I am here. I am with you." The opposition leader did not share details about how she returned to Venezuela or her current position in the country.

Machado's chief adviser David Smolansky said that the opposition leader plans to meet with earthquake victims, families of political prisoners, representatives of the international community, and leading figures of the democratic movement in the upcoming period.

Smolansky stated that among Machado's priorities is ensuring that a date for free and fair elections in the country is set.

Signal of Return from Gonzalez

He confirmed the return of Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez de Machado, who lives in Spain, to the country. Gonzalez said that he would also join Machado soon, giving a message about the possibility of returning to Venezuela.

The moves by two key opposition figures to return to the country have revived discussions on how the political process in Venezuela will unfold.

Trump: Things Are Going Very Well in Venezuela

U.S. President Donald Trump said he had no information about Machado's return to Venezuela. While calling Machado a "very nice woman", Trump nevertheless expressed satisfaction with the United States' current policies in Venezuela.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump asserted that the U.S. has full control over Venezuela. Referring to the country's oil activities, Trump claimed that millions of barrels of oil are extracted each week.

While the Trump administration continues its support for Delcy Rodriguez, who heads the interim government in Venezuela, it has not issued a statement supporting Machado's ascension to the country's leadership.

Known for His Fight Against the Maduro Regime

Born in 1967, Maria Corina Machado is known for her long-running political struggle against the Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela. Machado entered politics in 2002, and in 2023 she won the opposition's primary elections, earning the right to be the opposition candidate in the 2024 presidential election.

However, a judicial ruling that prevented him from holding public office forced him to withdraw from the race. The opposition, after the 2024 elections, challenged Maduro's declaration of victory and raised allegations of irregularities in the results.

Having become one of the prominent figures of the protests, Machado stayed out of the public eye for a long time due to security concerns and the threat of arrest. The opposition leader had previously stated that he had to go into hiding because of the risk of arrest and assassination.

She had received the Nobel Peace Prize from her daughter.

Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle for democracy in Venezuela. However, due to the political conditions in her country, she could not attend the award ceremony held in Oslo, Norway's capital.

At the ceremony held on 11 December 2025, Machado's award was accepted by her daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado.

Following the Nobel Peace Prize, Machado's return to Venezuela, which has attracted more international attention, the future of the opposition in the country and initiatives to hold free elections have again taken center stage on the agenda.