CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado said Sunday she will return to Venezuela in the coming weeks and will hold elections in the South American country.
Machado did not set a date for his return but said one of the goals was to prepare for “a new huge electoral victory.”
In a message shared on social media, the politician called on her supporters to “strengthen the unity of Venezuelans starting from the primaries,” referring to the process by which she will win the election in 2023 and is aimed at identifying a candidate to compete with former President Nicolas Maduro in the polls.
Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who has been in power since Maduro and his wife were captured in a U.S. military operation in January, warned that if Machado returns to the country, she “will have to answer.”
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said that change in Venezuela must go through stages of stability, economic recovery and transformation. He gave no indication that an election was likely anytime soon.
The 58-year-old politician is a key figure in Venezuela’s opposition and won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his fight for Venezuela’s democratic transition.
She later controversially presented the medal to U.S. President Donald Trump after military intervention brought Maduro, who now faces drug-trafficking-related charges in U.S. courts. He pleads not guilty.
Protests erupted after Maduro was declared the winner of the July 2024 election, triggering a widespread crackdown. The opposition claimed they had credible evidence that the real winner was Edmundo Gonzalez, who replaced Machado after she was barred from participating.