Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, leader of Venezuela’s opposition movement, has announced plans to return from exile and contest Venezuela’s next presidential election before the end of the year.
Machado emerged from 11 months in hiding in Venezuela in December 2025 and traveled to Norway to accept her Nobel Peace Prize. She has remained in exile since then.
Speaking with Venezuelan diaspora members in Panama on Saturday, Machado stated she intends to run for president, though she acknowledged that others may also enter the race. “I would love to compete with everyone,” she said.
The opposition leader emphasized that their “single goal” is to “rescue” Venezuela and bring back millions of citizens who have emigrated. “We have a mandate, we have a path, and we have a strategy,” Machado added. “Today we have not only strong political leadership, but also a cohesive, determined, and organized society like no other.”
The U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his return to New York for federal drug trafficking charges by the Trump administration prompted President Donald Trump to choose working with Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez rather than support Venezuela’s opposition movement. Although Machado celebrated Maduro’s removal as a “historic victory,” she has had to navigate a delicate diplomatic balance regarding U.S. strategy in the aftermath.
Machado continues to reject the legitimacy of the current political arrangement, stating that a true democratic transition remains unrealized. She insists on free, fair, and internationally monitored elections in Venezuela.
Despite her criticism, Machado has framed the U.S. intervention as a necessary first step toward restoring freedom while avoiding statements that could alienate President Trump. The opposition leader also described Venezuela’s political process as entering a “definitive stage,” with the goal of dismantling what she calls an “entire criminal structure” through democratic reforms.
Machado was barred from running in the 2024 presidential election by Maduro’s government and chose retired ambassador Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia to represent her on the ballot. Officials loyal to the ruling party declared Maduro the winner of the disputed election, but Machado’s campaign collected evidence showing Gonzalez defeated Maduro by a margin exceeding two-to-one.
