Venezuela's opposition leader Machado returns after months in exile, as doubts over democracy deepen

Opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado reappeared in Venezuela Sunday for the first time since December, about a month before the U.S. military deposed the country's then-President Nicolás Maduro. Machado announced her arrival on social media, writing, "I am here. With you." Meanwhile, Venezuela's opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez wrote on X, confirming Machado's arrival and saying he would be next to her "very soon." "Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!" he wrote. "You know it, this is until the end." Machado's homecoming, after more than 10 months in exile, comes as doubts about Venezuela's democratic future — and the U.S.'s role in it — deepen.