Venezuelan opposition chooses Machado as leader

 

TT

 

Published 22.33

 

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has been in exile since leaving the country in connection with receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB/TT

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, from Venezuela, has been chosen as leader by a coalition of opposition groups.

This increases pressure on the regime in Caracas to allow Machado to return to her home country.

Machado, currently in exile in Panama, has long served as a unifying political figure for Venezuela’s oppressed opposition. On Sunday, a coalition of opposition groups confirmed that Machado will continue to be the primary representative in negotiations with the regime in Caracas.

Former Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was appointed president after the United States forcibly removed the incumbent president, Nicolás Maduro.

However, Venezuela has not permitted Machado to return since she managed to slip out of the country to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in 2025—an award she subsequently presented to U.S. President Donald Trump.