Machado Returns to Venezuela After 10 Months in Exile
The opposition leader faced travel hurdles from Washington before arriving in Caracas to a massive welcome.
By Kenji Yamamoto ·
Thousands of people lined highways and toll plazas in Caracas on Sunday to greet opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
The crowd, waving Venezuelan flags and chanting for freedom, marked her first return to the country in nearly a year.
Machado, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans, rode in a convoy of cars and motorcycles into the capital.
She leaned out of the sunroof and told the crowd, "this country is giving lessons to everyone."
Earlier in the day, Machado was seen in Guacara singing the national anthem in a packed plaza.
Her absence began in December when she left Venezuela to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Facing the threat of arrest under the regime of former President Nicolas Maduro, she took refuge in the Argentine embassy.
With US assistance, she was smuggled out of the country to avoid detention.
Although US forces later ousted and arrested Maduro, Machado did not return immediately.
She presented her Nobel medal to US President Donald Trump, but her homecoming was delayed.
The Trump administration opted to back interim President Delcy Rodriguez over Machado.
Machado has cited travel restrictions and flight cancellations as obstacles to her return for months.
Source: Deutsche Welle
