Machado returns to Venezuela after 10 months abroad
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has returned to the country after more than 10 months abroad, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
“I am here. With you,” Machado wrote in a brief message on X on Sunday, announcing her return.
Estoy aquí. Con ustedes
— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) October 25, 2026
Her press team released photographs showing her attending Sunday Mass in the northwestern state of Lara. Supporters surrounded the opposition leader, embracing her and shaking her hand.
Her political ally and former presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who lives in Spain, also confirmed her arrival in a statement on X.
“I am immensely excited to announce that our leader, my dear María Corina, is on Venezuelan soil,” González wrote.
He described her return as an important moment for Venezuelans and said he intended to join her soon.
“Very soon I will be with you and with her so that our country can truly advance towards freedom,” he added.
¡Venezuela! Me emociona muchísimo anunciarles que nuestra líder, mi querida Maria Corina, está en territorio venezolano. Hoy es un día muy importante para los venezolanos. Nuestra voz soberana retorna con ella para liderar y encaminar este proceso! Muy pronto estaré con ustedes y con ella para que nuestro país avance verdaderamente hacia la libertad Ustedes lo saben, esto es hasta el final.
— Edmundo González (@EdmundoGU) October 25, 2026
Machado’s return follows several unsuccessful attempts to re-enter Venezuela. Her team said in September that she had faced repeated obstacles to returning.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been charged in the United States with conspiring to commit torture, including against American citizens detained in Venezuelan prisons.
