María Corina Machado
Opposition leader; founder of Vente Venezuela
Newest first: what María Corina Machado said, the stories about them and the U.S. court filings, each with its video or document.
Where is María Corina Machado?
As of September 25, 2026, María Corina Machado is in Panama. Her team says she has been prevented from flying out and remains there unable to leave for Venezuela, where she has not returned since traveling to Norway in December 2025. Source
Why can't María Corina Machado return to Venezuela?
As of September 25, 2026, her team says three attempts to return from Panama failed on September 22 and 23: a boat had engine failure and two flights were denied landing in Aruba and Curaçao. Her adviser Pedro Urruchurtu says she is being prevented from returning; a U.S. State Department spokesperson had called her return 'inappropriate' at that time, according to the BBC. Source
How many times has she tried to return to Venezuela?
As of September 25, 2026, according to EFE and UPI, she has made at least seven failed attempts to return, by sea and air, since she first tried to go back after the June 24, 2026 earthquakes. Panama's civil aviation authority said it 'has no involvement' in the matter. Source
Is there a date for presidential elections in Venezuela?
As of September 25, 2026, there is no official date. U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno proposed July 24, 2027, and Machado backed the proposal; Delcy Rodríguez has promised elections without saying when. Source
What happened at the protest outside the CNE?
As of September 25, 2026, on September 24, protesters gathered outside the National Electoral Council in Caracas demanding an election timetable and María Corina Machado's return, according to NTN24. State media did not report the protest. Source
Is María Corina Machado in jail?
As of September 25, 2026, no. She is not detained or charged in any U.S. court; she is in Panama. She was briefly detained on January 9, 2025 after a protest in Caracas and then released. Source
Why did she win the Nobel Peace Prize?
As of September 25, 2026, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded her the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, announced on October 10, 2025, for her work for democratic rights in Venezuela and a peaceful transition to democracy. Her daughter Ana Corina Sosa accepted it in Oslo on December 10, 2025. Source
Did María Corina Machado give her Nobel medal to Trump?
As of September 25, 2026, yes. On January 15, 2026 she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Donald Trump during a White House meeting, according to CNN, NPR and Euronews. In April 2026 she said she had no regrets. Source
Who is María Corina Machado?
As of September 25, 2026, she is Venezuela's opposition leader, an industrial engineer and former lawmaker: she was elected to the National Assembly in 2010 and won the October 2023 opposition primary with 92% of the vote. The Comptroller's office barred her from office for 15 years in June 2023, a move her camp calls political. Source
What is her relationship with Delcy Rodríguez and the U.S.?
As of September 25, 2026, Delcy Rodríguez is acting president after the U.S. captured Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, and met Trump in New York this week. Machado rejects the oil deal with a government she calls illegitimate; in July, Patricia Poleo said in our coverage that Washington saw 'opportunism' in her return. Source
The story so far
Oldest first · Born 1967, Caracas- Elected to the National Assembly for Miranda state. source
- Stripped of immunity and removed from the National Assembly. source
- The Comptroller's office bars her from public office for 15 years. source
- Wins the opposition primary with 92.3% of the vote. source
- Briefly detained after a protest in Caracas, then released. source
- Named winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. source
- Her daughter accepts the Nobel in Oslo; Machado reappears there after more than a year in hiding. source
- Presents her Nobel medal to Donald Trump at the White House. source
- Tries to return to Venezuela after the June 24 earthquakes and fails. source
- Three attempts to return from Panama by sea and air fail. source