Anti-socialist opposition leader María Corina Machado announced Sunday that she plans to return to Venezuela “in a few weeks” to continue efforts toward a democratic transition following the arrest of former President Nicolás Maduro.

Machado, a former lawmaker and leader of the center-right party Vente Venezuela, fled the country in December 2025 after facing threats and politically motivated charges following the disputed July 28, 2024, presidential election. She subsequently received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, and has spent the past months meeting with international leaders, including President Donald Trump, Pope Leo XIV, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to advocate for Venezuela’s democratic restoration.

In a video, Machado credited Trump with ensuring Maduro’s arrest on January 3 and praised the efforts of U.S. personnel involved in restoring democracy. “The transition to democracy in Venezuela is unstoppable,” she said, outlining what she described as a sequence of spiritual, political, electoral, and military victories against the socialist regime.

Machado indicated that her return will focus on consolidating national unity, strengthening Venezuela’s opposition movement, and preparing for a “new and gigantic electoral victory” in a prospective free election. She highlighted the ongoing cooperation of the current acting socialist government, led by Delcy Rodríguez, with the U.S.-backed three-phase stability, recovery, and transition program. Initiatives include restoring U.S. diplomatic presence, reforming the oil sector, and repurposing the regime’s largest torture complex, the Helicoide, into a cultural center.

Machado criticized the socialist regime for attempting to “buy time” and impede reforms, while emphasizing her intention to return alongside other Venezuelan exiles to secure an orderly and sustainable democratic transition.

Recent polling by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg found Machado as the second most popular political figure in Venezuela, with 56 percent of respondents holding a favorable view. She trailed only Rubio at 57 percent and surpassed Trump, who ranked third at 53 percent.

While Machado did not provide specifics on her method of return, her announcement signals a renewed push for direct involvement in Venezuela’s political future as the country moves toward democratic reconstruction.