Ana Corina Sosa, daughter of the Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, warned this Tuesday that her mother’s return to Venezuela faces serious obstacles, in statements to NTN24 after accepting the Leadership Award from the Concordia Forum 2026 on behalf of her mother, during a ceremony held in Manhattan, New York.
“I want to reiterate, the situation is complex, there are many forces at play, it's clearly not as simple as getting on a plane and returning, I want Venezuelans to understand this clearly. My mother works day and night to return and be with Venezuelans in the country,” Sosa stated in the interview.
The words of Machado's eldest daughter come at a time of high tension: according to a report from EFE, María Corina Machado tried to return to her country from Panama City on three separate occasions and failed each time. In total, since the end of June, Machado has attempted to return to Venezuela "at least seven times", according to her collaborators.
This pattern of failed attempts is not new.
Machado announced in March 2026 that she would return "in a few weeks", a promise that did not materialize. In June, an attempt from Curacao failed when Dutch authorities revoked the landing permit, and a second attempt from Panama also turned out to be unsuccessful.
Ana Corina Sosa did not wish to elaborate on which specific forces are hindering the return, but she emphasized that it will happen: "Have confidence that it will happen. I am sure of it, and very soon he will be with the Venezuelans."
The young woman also recalled the words she spoke in Oslo on December 10, 2025, when she received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of her mother: «My mom never breaks a promise, and that is her goal right now, to return to her country».
The latest attempts for Machado's return coincided with the visit of Delcy Rodríguez —acting president of Venezuela— to New York, where she met with President Donald Trump, accompanied by Marco Rubio and Scott Bessent, on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.
About that presence, Ana Corina Sosa was straightforward: «As a Venezuelan, it's quite hard to swallow, but I don't want that to demoralize us, because that's exactly what the regime has sought all this time».
The daughter of Machado also recalled that Delcy Rodríguez arrived in New York under escort and was welcomed by the chargé d'affaires of the United States, John Barrett, at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, which sparked protests in Venezuela, Miami, and New York itself.
Sosa emphasized that the presence of representatives from the Chavista regime before international organizations is not unprecedented: "This is not the first time a dictator has appeared before the UN. Gaddafi was there, Maduro himself, Fidel Castro. Let's remain steadfast, continue doing what we've been doing."
Regarding the political roadmap, Ana Corina Sosa supported the proposal from Senator Bernie Moreno to set presidential elections in Venezuela for July 24, 2027, although she clarified that she would prefer an earlier date: "The important thing is to set a date and for us to be able to work towards that moment."
He closed his message by reminding that more than 300 political prisoners remain incarcerated in Venezuela and that their release is an essential condition for any democratic transition: "We must continue to demand not only elections but also the release of political prisoners and the return of the freedom that Venezuela so rightfully deserves."
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