Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado returns from exile
The gist
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado reappeared in Venezuela after months abroad, drawing thousands to a Caracas caravan.
Her return pressures interim President Delcy Rodríguez to set a presidential election date.
How it unfolded
- Jan 2025Machado was briefly detained following a protest, then went into hiding in Venezuela for 11 months.
- Dec 2025She left Venezuela in a clandestine escape with a private U.S. rescue team and reappeared in Norway to accept the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
- Jan 2026The U.S. military deposed then-President Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the U.S. to face drug-trafficking charges; Delcy Rodríguez became interim president on Jan 3.