Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient María Corina Machado announced she intends to return to Venezuela before the end of 2026 and is preparing for a possible presidential campaign, according to remarks delivered Saturday during a visit with Venezuelan expatriates in Panama.

Machado, who has been living in exile since December after emerging from nearly a year in hiding and traveling to Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, said she expects to participate in Venezuela's next presidential election if conditions allow. She emphasized that multiple opposition figures could seek the nomination and expressed support for a competitive process within the opposition movement.

Speaking alongside members of the Unitary Platform, Venezuela's main opposition coalition, Machado said the alliance remains focused on what she described as a mission to restore democracy and encourage the return of millions of Venezuelans who left the country during years of political and economic turmoil. She argued that the opposition now possesses both political leadership and a broad organizational network capable of supporting a democratic transition.

Machado's announcement comes amid continued uncertainty over Venezuela's political future. After the Trump administration captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and returned him to the United States to face federal drug trafficking charges, Washington shifted its support toward acting Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez rather than backing the opposition movement.

While Machado welcomed Maduro's removal, she has continued to argue that Venezuela has not yet achieved a full democratic transition. She has repeatedly called for free, fair, and internationally monitored presidential elections, including voting access for Venezuelans living abroad. Machado said the opposition's goal is not only electoral victory but also the dismantling of what she described as a criminal political structure and the restoration of democratic institutions.

Machado emerged as Maduro's most prominent challenger in recent years but was barred from competing in Venezuela's disputed 2024 presidential election. She instead backed former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia as the opposition's candidate. After the vote, government officials declared Maduro the winner, while Machado's campaign maintained that its records showed González won by a wide margin.

Although no date has been set for Venezuela's next presidential election, Machado said the opposition remains united behind the objective of securing what it considers a legitimate democratic vote and ultimately returning political power to the Venezuelan people.