María Corina Machado appeared this Sunday before her supporters at the sanctuary of the Divine Shepherdess in Barquisimeto, Lara state, marking her first public appearance since returning to Venezuela after nearly ten months abroad.
The Comando ConVzla shared images and videos of the meeting on X, where Machado is seen surrounded by supporters holding rosaries and crucifixes, in a reception filled with emotion and religious fervor.
A woman, in tears, summed up the feelings of those waiting for her: "The Virgin has performed a miracle for us."
Machado had confirmed his return hours earlier with a brief message on X: "I am here. With you."
His return occurred after at least seven failed attempts between June and September 2026, hindered by flight restrictions, a lack of landing authorizations, and warnings attributed to Venezuelan authorities.
Among the most notable episodes of those months, a private flight from Virginia returned to the United States without reaching its destination, and a commercial airline prevented passengers from boarding after receiving warnings from the Venezuelan government.
On September 22, he attempted to return three times in a single day from Panama City—by sea and to different islands in the Caribbean—without any of the routes succeeding.
The return finally materialized thanks to an international diplomatic operation involving several countries and with the approval of Washington, according to reports from international media.
Edmundo González Urrutia also celebrated the news: "I am very excited to announce that our leader, my dear María Corina, is in Venezuelan territory," he wrote, adding that the opposition regains its "sovereign voice" with her.
González Urrutia also hinted at his own return to the country: "I will be with you and with her very soon."
The return of Machado is set against a Venezuela that has been profoundly transformed since Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces on January 3, 2026, with the government currently led by the acting president Delcy Rodríguez.
Machado had clandestinely left the country on the night of December 8, 2025, disguised and without a passport, to travel to Oslo, where her daughter Ana Corina Sosa received on her behalf the Nobel Peace Prize 2025, an award granted for her efforts in defending democratic rights and advocating for a peaceful transition in Venezuela.
Since then, she has remained abroad—mainly in the United States and Panama—while publicly demanding a date for presidential elections and denouncing her exclusion from the negotiations between chavismo and sectors of the opposition promoted by Washington.
The Comando ConVzla summed up the significance of the moment with a phrase that circulated widely among its supporters: "Venezuela has changed and is preparing for the definitive transition to democracy and freedom."
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