A staunch supporter of democracy, Machado won an independent presidential primary election in 2023 that was held outside the Maduro government's official election authority, earning more than 90% of the vote.
Regarding her return, a statement posted on X noted that the conditions allowing for the safe return of Ms. Machado to Venezuela are the direct result of US-supported reconciliation talks. These talks have already seen hundreds of political prisoners freed and hundreds of political opposition figures return from exile.
The statement added an expectation for all political actors to support the talks, describing them as representing the best chance Venezuela has had in thirty years to peacefully achieve not just a free and fair election, but an enduring democracy.
Machado left the country shortly before the US government seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January. Maduro is currently jailed in New York, where he faces drugs, weapons, and torture charges.
Her return follows repeated prior efforts to re-enter the country that had previously come to no avail, and comes just a month after she left the nation.
Despite winning that primary, Maduro's government barred Machado from running for office, accusing her of fraud and tax violations. Machado denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated.
In the 2024 election, Machado's ally González ran in her place against Maduro. The opposition argued that González won the election rather than Maduro, and uploaded copies of the voting tallies as evidence.