After Being Exiled for Months Venezuelan opposition Leader María Machado is Back
After more than ten months in exile, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has returned to a volatile political environment. I am present. With you Machado posted on X on Sunday.
Minutes later, her ally and former presidential candidate Edmundo González wrote, I am thrilled to announce that our leader my dear María Corina, is on Venezuelan soil.
President Nicolás Maduro, Machado’s opponent, was taken prisoner by the United States in January, one month after Machado left Venezuela to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.
Delcy Rodríguez, his deputy, was inaugurated as interim president and later signed an oil contract with the United States with the Trump administration supporting her as leader.
On Sunday, Machado attended Mass at a church in the Venezuelan province of Lara. Fans surrounded her, holding her hands and hugging her.
For Venezuelans, today is a very significant day. With her, our sovereign voice returns to steer and direct this process, remarked González.
To move Venezuela toward freedom, he added, he will soon travel there with Machado. Machado a fervent advocate for democracy received almost 90% of the vote in an independent presidential primary in 2023 held outside the Maduro government’s official election authority.
Maduro’s regime prohibited Machado from running for office despite her primary victory accusing her of tax evasion and fraud. Machado called the accusations politically motivated and refuted them. Machado’s supporter González challenged Maduro in the 2024 election.
The electoral body closely associated with the government, proclaimed Maduro the victor without disclosing specific vote totals.
Using copies of the voting tallies as proof, the opposition claimed that González, not Maduro had won the election.
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