CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) 鈥� Venezuelan opposition leader and Mar铆a Corina Machado said on Sunday that she will return to Venezuela in the coming weeks and that elections will be held in the South American country.
Machado did not set a date for her return but said that one of the objectives will be to prepare 鈥渇or a new and gigantic electoral victory.鈥�
In a message shared on social media, the politician called on her supporters to 鈥渟trengthen the unity of Venezuelans that began with the primaries,鈥� a reference to the 2023 process in which she won the vote aimed at establishing a single candidate to compete at the polls against former President Nicol谩s Maduro.
鈥� in power since Maduro and his wife in a U.S. military operation in January 鈥� has warned that Machado 鈥渨ill have to answer鈥� if she returns to the country.
U.S. Secretary of State has said that change in Venezuela must go through phases of stabilization, economic recovery and transition. He has not indicated that elections could be held in the short term.
The 58-year-old politician, a key figure in the Venezuelan opposition, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for her fight for democratic transition in Venezuela.
She controversially later to U.S. President Donald Trump after the military intervention that deposited Maduro, who now faces drug-trafficking-related charges in U.S. courts. He has pleaded not guilty.
After Maduro was declared the victor of the July 2024 elections, protests erupted which sparked widespread repression. The opposition claimed it had credible evidence that the real winner was Edmundo Gonz谩lez, who replaced Machado after she was barred from participating.
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