Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado has announced plans to seek the presidency once more, saying she hopes to return to Venezuela before the end of 2026.
Speaking at a meeting with fellow opposition leaders in Panama City on Saturday, Machado reaffirmed her commitment to a democratic transition in Venezuela through “free and fair presidential elections” involving voters both inside and outside the country.
Her remarks came more than four months after the White House shifted its support away from Machado and instead backed acting President Delcy Rodríguez following the US military’s capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Machado has been living in exile since December after emerging from nearly 11 months in hiding in Venezuela and travelling to Norway, where she was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize.
She said any credible presidential election would require significant reforms, including the appointment of neutral electoral authorities, updated voter registration and guarantees allowing opposition candidates to participate without interference.
Machado, widely seen as Maduro’s strongest political rival in recent years, was barred by the government from contesting the 2024 presidential election. She later endorsed retired diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia as the opposition candidate.
Despite officials declaring Maduro the winner, Machado’s campaign claimed it had collected evidence showing González won the election by a margin of more than two-to-one.
“I will be a candidate, but there may be others, of course,” Machado told reporters. “I would love to compete with everyone, with anyone who wants to be a candidate.”
