Opposition politician Machado: What does her return mean for Venezuela?

Opposition politician What does Machado's return mean for Venezuela? As of: October 30, 2026 • 4:22 a.m

Venezuelan opposition politician María Corina Machado returned from exile on Sunday. There the judiciary is investigating her for treason - but she is no longer hiding.

As María Corina Machado drove through Caracas standing in a car on Sunday evening, she was accompanied by the cheers of her supporters. She waves to her supporters, who are standing in the thousands on the streets.

Machado still enjoys the highest approval ratings in polls. She wants to take advantage of this popularity, as she said at a press conference on Thursday in Caracas.

"The regime knows me, they know that I keep my word. And a word given in a negotiation process is kept and that's what the country relies on and that's what the majority hopes for."

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The opposition politician was actually threatened with arrest if she entered the country. A series of investigations - for terrorism, conspiracy, incitement to violence and riots, participation in assassination plots and treason. At least that's what she was accused of by Venezuela's pro-regime judiciary. They have not yet been repealed.

"I have received no free pass, no guarantee, no message and no signal. Repeal of the Simón Bolívar law, the hate and terrorism law are an absolute priority. They will continue to be used as a threat, not against me, because this is not about me, but about millions of Venezuelans."

But even if interim president Delcy Rodríguez reacted disparagingly to Machado's return, describing her appearance as a "show" - otherwise she is holding back and there are no threats. Shortly before Machado's press conference, Delcy - as she is known in Venezuela - delivers a message to the nation. And in doing so, it presents itself as a guarantor of democracy.

"We must find a framework for peace and genuine democratic coexistence, orderly legal reform and fair participation of all political forces in the country. And for elections that represent a solution and do not lead to irreconcilable conflicts."

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She does not mention a date for elections. For Jesus Renzullo, Venezuelan and political scientist at the GIGA Institute in Berlin, it's pure calculation. “Caracas prefers not to eliminate its enemies and political rivals, but rather to weaken them by limiting their space of action until the protests and promises of change collapse under their own weight.” A timed game - which the USA is also playing.

"Washington benefits from the Delcy Rodríguez administration, but at the same time wants to maintain the impression that the United States is committed to a transition of power," says Renzullo.

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"Washington wants to extend Rodríguez's term as long as possible in order to benefit from the preferential conditions that the Rodríguez government grants to American companies in all sectors of the country's economy."

In addition to interest in oil, this is also clear in other sectors, according to Renzullo: medicines, mining projects, public tenders in which the USA should win the contract.

Both sides, the USA and the interim government in Venezuela, are delaying the process of a stable transition for their own interests. So Machado remains the most popular voice of the Venezuelan opposition, but for now he only has one pound in his hand: the pressure of the street as long as it lasts.

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | Venezuela: What does Machado's return mean for the country? | Oct 29, 2026 | 10:10 p.m