Tracking · Venezuela and the world
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and leader of Venezuela's democratic opposition: the latest news about her, verified and linked to its source, and the context to understand it.
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Our own headlines and summaries, linked to the original story; each fact is the responsibility of the outlet cited, and her statements are attributed as such. Only stories from the last 30 days. Checked every day.
In a video posted on her social media accounts, Machado called on Venezuelans to demonstrate on Thursday, Oct. 22, three years after the opposition primary, and asked them to turn out with their families and the national flag, according to El Pitazo.
The Unitary Democratic Platform backed the nationwide protest that Vente Venezuela called for Thursday, Oct. 22, three years to the day after the opposition primary, and demanded a new CNE and an electoral timetable, according to TalCual.
In an interview with the Grupo de Diarios América in Panama City, Machado said “the date of the election is the date of liberation” and that an amnesty for crimes against humanity runs counter to the Constitution, according to El Nacional.
On his way to a campaign event in Kansas, Donald Trump answered “Well, that would be interesting” when asked whether he wanted to see Delcy Rodríguez face Machado in a Venezuelan presidential election, according to Efecto Cocuyo.
Vente Venezuela called a rally for Thursday, Oct. 22, at 4:00 p.m. in Plaza Venezuela and in the rest of the country to demand Machado's return, an electoral timetable with a 2027 presidential vote and freedom for those held for political reasons, according to TalCual.
The Unitary Democratic Platform presented a national agreement that prioritizes a presidential election and calls for freeing the 322 political prisoners counted by Foro Penal; Machado backed it by video: “We are now at the beginning of a new era,” according to Efecto Cocuyo.
Under the slogan “Set The Date,” thousands of Venezuelans rallied Saturday, Oct. 17, in cities around the world to demand a date for the presidential election and Machado's safe return, according to NTN24.
Dinorah Figuera, president of the National Assembly elected in 2015, said “the invitation is for everyone,” that the talks will take up political bans, including Machado's, and that they will seek “a date,” according to Efecto Cocuyo.
In a statement, the Venezuelan Foreign Policy Forum rejected any obstacle to Machado's return and, citing Article 50 of the Constitution, said coming home “is not a political concession,” according to El Nacional.
In Panama, Machado told The New York Times that newly signed oil contracts “will be respected” if they comply with Venezuelan law, and criticized the businessman who would control about one-fifth of the reserves under a deal with Trump, according to Runrunes.
In a New York Times interview, Machado said the U.S. excluded her from the Caracas negotiations and that she will return “sooner than they imagine”; the State Department said Vente Venezuela had been invited, according to Efecto Cocuyo.
In AtlasIntel's September LatAm Pulse survey for Bloomberg, Machado drew 52% of presidential voting intention, Delcy Rodríguez 19% and Lorenzo Mendoza 8%, according to Efecto Cocuyo.
On his show Con el mazo dando, Diosdado Cabello denied there are any restrictions on Machado's return: “Let her come to Venezuela, no one is stopping her. If she wants to come tomorrow, let her come tomorrow,” according to TalCual.
The lawyer and Vente Venezuela member detained Oct. 9 in Barinas was released Monday at 4:32 p.m. after his initial court hearing, under a precautionary measure with no periodic check-ins, the rights group Fundehullan said on X, according to El Nacional.
Machado shared on X a report by journalist Luis Carlos Díaz that cites more than 200 detained children, wrote “a regime capable of jailing and torturing children” and asked “that the world also know it,” according to NTN24.
The Llanos Human Rights Foundation said a lawyer and Vente Venezuela member was detained Friday night in Barinas without a warrant and without being caught in the act, and demanded his immediate release, according to Efecto Cocuyo.
Machado said she is doing “everything in my hands” to overcome the obstacles to her return and that “Delcy Rodríguez's regime does not want me to be present,” after at least seven failed attempts to come home, according to NTN24.
Luis Tarbay, Vente Venezuela's international coordinator, called a protest in cities around the world on Saturday, Oct. 17, to demand a presidential election date: “it is urgent that we have an election date,” he said, according to Infobae.
In a Financial Times interview, Machado said there is “more than enough time” to vote before July 2027, called for transparency over oil revenue and said the difference with Washington “lies in the pace and the timing,” according to Efecto Cocuyo.
Asked at a news conference with his Greek counterpart whether Washington would keep urging foreign governments not to help Machado return, the secretary of state said “I don't know what they're talking about” and denied his department ever did so, according to El Nacional.
Bárbara César Siero, a former Supreme Court justice, said in a YouTube video that she signed Machado's disqualification, published Jan. 26, 2024, because two of her brothers and a sister-in-law were detained and she feared for their lives, according to TalCual.
Machado wrote that she will return “to be alongside Venezuelans at this stage, strengthen the people's organization and help facilitate the transition,” after seven failed attempts to come home by air and by sea, according to El Nacional.
Vente Venezuela leader Henry Alviárez said that, after seven attempts — the latest one thwarted — the diplomatic and legal pieces are aligning “in the coming hours” for Machado's return, which should be through Maiquetía or Valencia, according to TalCual.
At the White House, Donald Trump said Machado “is an excellent woman” and that “everything is going to work out fine” when asked whether she should return to Venezuela, after the article in which she pressed for her homecoming, according to EFE.
In a New York Post opinion piece, Machado wrote that “my return is urgent” and called for a date for the presidential election to be set within the next year, along with the reforms needed to make it free and competitive, according to TalCual.
From Panama, Machado recognized Flávio Bolsonaro on X as the winner of Brazil's first round, praised “an exemplary democratic day” and said Venezuela will also advance “very soon” on the path of freedom, according to EFE.
Claudia Macero, Machado's press chief, said at Vente Venezuela's Caracas headquarters that Machado will return “to organize, to mobilize and to forge agreements” and that she believes “the eighth attempt will be the definitive one,” according to El Nacional.
Speaking by video at the fourth Foro América Libre in Mexico, Machado said the transition “will be with the people or it will not be,” that Venezuelans want to choose their own destiny and that they will meet “very soon at home,” according to Diario Las Américas.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello called claims that Machado is being kept from returning a “show,” urged her to come back and said she should “come and account to her people,” according to Infobae.
Machado is keeping a very low profile in Panama, with no known public appearance since a July 5 Mass for earthquake victims, and has made at least seven failed attempts to return to Venezuela, according to EFE.
After her conversation with Sen. Rick Scott, Machado said she is “determined to return home to stand alongside our people” and that transparent presidential elections serve the interests of both Venezuela and the U.S., according to NTN24.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said he spoke by phone with Machado and that she is willing to sit down with those currently in power, including Delcy Rodríguez, to build a better future for Venezuela, according to NTN24.
Vente Venezuela leader María Oropeza said in an interview that Machado's arrival “would speed up any transition process” and that many Venezuelans who fight for freedom will return after her, according to NTN24.
Government and 2015 National Assembly delegations agreed to set up the political and civil guarantees table in mid-October; it will address conditions for exiles such as Machado to return without fear of arrest, according to El Nacional.
Unions and relatives of political prisoners protested in Plaza Venezuela for decent wages, an electoral timetable, the release of political prisoners and an end to what they consider a veto on Machado's return; police stopped the march, according to Efecto Cocuyo.
Vente Venezuela's communications chief said in Caracas the party will compete in any election but demands a date for the presidential vote, and that Machado has made seven failed attempts to return home, according to Crónica.Uno.
Bolivarian National Guard officers detained a Vente Venezuela leader in Maracaibo during the caravan for Machado's return; the party called the detention “arbitrary,” and he was released that evening, according to El Nacional.
Machado posted on X that “each return is another immense step” toward reuniting Venezuelans, after her party's communications chief, who had been sheltered at the Argentine Embassy, came back to the country, according to EFE.
Hundreds of opposition supporters rode motorcycles and cars or walked through cities in Lara, Zulia, Carabobo, Mérida, Bolívar and other states to demand Machado's safe return and an electoral timetable, according to EFE.
At a forum marking 25 years of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, Machado said she will return soon and called for raising “the urgency of an electoral process” in which the diaspora can also vote, according to NTN24.
The National Assembly president and chief government negotiator replied “No, come on, for God's sake”; Machado's team maintains she has been prevented from flying out of Panama, according to El Nacional.
Demonstrators gathered in Plaza Venezuela, Caracas, chanting slogans such as “María Corina, come, we are waiting for you” to demand her return and the country's democratization, according to El Nacional.
The UCV Federation of University Centers gathered at Maiquetía airport and, citing Article 50 of the Constitution, argued that no Venezuelan needs permission to enter the country, according to El Nacional.
Machado traveled on a Panamanian diplomatic passport issued on humanitarian grounds, which does not grant citizenship, alongside an adviser to Foreign Minister Javier Martínez Acha; the ministry has not commented, according to La Prensa de Panamá.
Machado made three failed attempts to return within hours, on the day Donald Trump met Delcy Rodríguez in New York; U.S. officials privately urged her to postpone her return, according to sources cited by Reuters.
Ana Corina Sosa Machado accepted the award at the annual Concordia Summit; by video, Machado said the Venezuelan people “will never renounce their legitimate right to govern themselves,” according to El Nacional.
Follow her on Instagram: @mariacorinamachado(verified account) (opens Instagram)
Posts from the official @mariacorinamachado account; excerpts quoted verbatim, in the original Spanish, with our one-line English summary. Posts by her team are presented as posted on her account. Her claims are her own: when a post states a fact about others, check it against the verified news above.
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«¡Bienvenida a la segunda guacamaya que regresa a casa! Una de nuestras guacamayas, nuestra Coordinadora Nacional de Comunicaciones, Claudia Macero (@claumacero), regresa a Venezuela tras meses…»
In English: Her team welcomes back its national communications coordinator, Claudia Macero, who returned to Venezuela after months abroad.
«María Corina Machado (@mariacorinamachado) ha sido galardonada con el Premio de Liderazgo Concordia 2026 por el @ConcordiaSummit. …»
In English: The account says Machado received the 2026 Concordia Leadership Award, accepted by her daughter Ana Corina Sosa, and proposed a “Great National Agreement.”
«María Corina Machado (@mariacorinamachado ) ha sido honrada con el Premio de Liderazgo Concordia 2026 (@ConcordiaSummit), un galardón que rinde tributo a líderes globales cuyas acciones generan un…»
In English: The account says Machado received the 2026 Concordia Leadership Award; her daughter Ana Corina Sosa accepted it on her behalf.
«“Sin justicia para las víctimas, no avanzaremos como sociedad.” El abogado venezolano Omar Mora Tosta intervino ante las Naciones Unidas para exigir la liberación inmediata y plena de los presos…»
In English: Venezuelan lawyer Omar Mora Tosta addressed the United Nations to demand the release of Venezuela's political prisoners.
«@mariacorinamachado: “Estimado Senador @senatorberniemoreno, Gracias por su liderazgo y claridad en cuanto a la importancia crítica de unas elecciones presidenciales libres en Venezuela. …”»
In English: Machado thanks U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno for his stance on free presidential elections in Venezuela: “It is time to #SetTheDate.”
«Producir en las montañas de Mérida hoy en día es un acto de pura valentía.🇻🇪 Los agricultores de Guaraque trabajan la tierra en condiciones complejas, superando fallas de servicios, vías…»
In English: A post about farmers in Guaraque, Mérida, who keep working despite service failures, hard roads and a lack of supplies.
The reels are hosted on Instagram and do not load until you tap “Watch reel.” When you play one, Instagram (Meta) may collect data.
She wins the opposition primary with 92.35% of the vote; the National Primary Commission proclaims her the winner on Oct. 26 [1].
The Supreme Court upholds a 15-year ban on her holding office, keeping her out of the presidential election [2].
Presidential election. The CNE proclaims Nicolás Maduro without showing results by polling station; the opposition publishes 83.5% of the tally sheets, collected by thousands of witnesses [3].
She reappears at a protest in Caracas. Her team says she was intercepted as she left and then released; the government denies it [4].
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awards her the Nobel Peace Prize [5].
She leaves Venezuela in a secret maritime operation to Curaçao to accept the Nobel in Oslo [6].
U.S. forces capture Nicolás Maduro; Delcy Rodríguez, his vice president, begins acting as “president in charge” [7][8].
First attempt to return, two days after the earthquakes in the north of the country [6].
U.S.-backed transition talks begin without her [9].
Three failed attempts to return from Panama in less than 24 hours; the total reaches at least seven [10].
Caravans in several states, including Lara, call for her safe return and an electoral timetable [11].
While the UN heard promises of elections with no date, the leader of Venezuela's democratic opposition made her seventh failed attempt to return to the country.
More than twenty years ago she founded Súmate, an organization dedicated to demanding free and fair elections. “It was a choice of ballots over bullets,” as she put it [5]. She served as a deputy in the National Assembly and founded the Vente Venezuela movement [12].
She won the opposition primary with 92% of the vote [12]. Nicolás Maduro's regime blocked her candidacy for 2024, and she backed Edmundo González Urrutia. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers watched over the polling stations and published the tally sheets, which showed a clear opposition victory; the regime refused to recognize it [5].
After the election she was forced to live in hiding, despite threats against her life [5]. On Oct. 10, 2025, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded her the Nobel Peace Prize “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela” [5]. In December she left the country in a secret maritime operation to Curaçao to accept it in Oslo [6].
While heads of state gathered in New York for the 81st General Assembly, Machado was still outside her country.
Machado backs Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno's proposal to hold presidential elections on July 24, 2027, Simón Bolívar's birthday [15].
Three attempts to return from Panama, by sea and by air, in less than 24 hours; none reaches Venezuela. They bring the total to at least seven since December [6][10].
In New York, her daughter Ana Corina Sosa accepts the 2026 Concordia Leadership Award on her behalf, presented on the sidelines of the General Assembly; Machado speaks by video [12].
Delcy Rodríguez addresses the General Assembly: she promises that “there will be elections,” with no date[7][14].
Hundreds of people gather in Caracas to demand her return and an electoral timetable [16]. Her team is weighing a public return, accompanied by an international delegation [13].
“The Venezuelan people will never renounce their legitimate right to govern themselves.”
María Corina Machado, by video, accepting the 2026 Concordia Leadership Award [12].
“She has been prevented from flying out of Panama. She remains there, unable to leave,” her team complained to the EFE news agency[10]. Her international adviser, Pedro Urruchurtu, said the three most recent attempts were by sea and by air [13].
Machado has been trying to return since June 26, two days after the earthquakes in the north of the country[6]. On June 29 she denounced the closure of commercial airspace to prevent her flight from Panama City[10]. In early July, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said her return was not appropriate at that time, and according to The Wall Street Journal, Washington intervened in those attempts[6].
Nor is she part of the U.S.-backed transition talks, which began in August without her or Edmundo González [9]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did mention her this week: “It's not just Maria Corina, who's a very brave woman, but there are other people that are abroad”[7].
Delcy Rodríguez, Nicolás Maduro's vice president, has held power as “president in charge” since his capture on Jan. 3. At the UN she said: “I want to say it very clearly […]: There will be elections in Venezuela.” She gave no date and said Venezuelans would decide it [7]. The Constitution sets a 180-day deadline for an interim president to call elections, a deadline that has already passed [14].
The opposition does have a date on the table: July 24, 2027, proposed by Sen. Bernie Moreno. “Thank you for your leadership and clarity regarding the crucial importance of free presidential elections,” Machado replied [15]. In Caracas, the Sept. 24 protesters asked for the same thing: an electoral timetable [16].