Machado Announces Return to Venezuela

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado announced on October 25 that she had returned to the country after nearly a year abroad, sharing a message on X as her team released images of her at a church in Lara state. Her arrival brings a leading opponent of the government back into Venezuela amid calls for a presidential election, but the circumstances of her return and her ability to operate politically remain uncertain. Machado’s communications team shared images showing her at a church in Santa Rosa, where supporters gathered around her. Her post said, “I am here. With you.” The images and announcement confirmed her presence in Venezuela, but she did not disclose how she entered or whether authorities knew of her plans. Her ally Edmundo González Urrutia, who stood as the opposition’s candidate in the 2024 presidential election after Machado was barred from running, celebrated her return on social media. He said he would join her very soon but gave no date for his own return. Machado’s party said she had made seven unsuccessful attempts to return before this trip and that Venezuelan authorities blocked them. The full count and who obstructed each attempt have not been...