Government responds to María Corina Machado's return with calls for dialogue

Acting president of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez and ruling-party leader Diosdado Cabello responded to the return of opposition leader María Corina Machado by combining calls for peaceful coexistence with warnings about her political participation.

Machado returned to the country after ten months outside national territory, having left clandestinely in connection with the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo. Her return comes in a political landscape transformed by the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 by US forces and Rodríguez's assumption of power with the backing of the Administration of Donald Trump.

In statements to the media, Rodríguez called the deployment surrounding the return unnecessary and said the opposition leader was able to enter through airport structures under the benefits of the coexistence processes. She also argued that future talks require experience, and demanded repentance from those who promoted sanctions against the country.

For his part, Cabello said opposition figures may rejoin public life, but warned that they must take responsibility for their past actions. The government seeks to make dialogue conditional on discussing political and judicial reforms and the recovery of state assets abroad.