Venezuela's Machado vows another run for presidency, eyes return from exile

Source: ABC News/AP

May 23, 2026, 6:37 PM


PANAMA CITY, Panama -- Venezuela's Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado announced on Saturday that she plans to run for president again and intends to return to her home country before the end of 2026.

Machado's remarks, made while meeting in Panama with several fellow Venezuelan opposition leaders, come more than four months after the stunning White House decision to sideline her and instead work with a Venezuelan ruling party loyalist following the U.S. military’s capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro.

Machado has been in exile since December, when she emerged from 11 months in hiding somewhere in Venezuela and traveled to Norway where she was honored with the Nobel Prize.

She told reporters in Panama City that she and the other gathered opposition leaders remain committed to a democratic transition “through free and fair presidential elections, where all Venezuelans inside and outside the country vote.”. Still, it is unclear when Venezuela will hold a presidential election.

Read more: https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/venezuelas-machado-vows-run-presidency-eyes-return-exile-133258234