Venezuelan opposition representative Claudia Macero returns to Caracas after two years of exile

Venezuelan opposition representative Claudia Macero has returned to her homeland from two years of exile. Macero was received by hundreds of supporters at the airport in Caracas on Sunday evening, as a photographer for the AFP news agency reported. The 34-year-old is considered the main deputy of opposition leader María Corina Machado.

Machado himself has been prevented from returning to the South American country several times since left-wing nationalist leader Nicolás Maduro was captured during a US military operation in January. Just a few days ago, according to those close to her, she was once again denied entry to Venezuela.

When she arrived, her confidante Macero told journalists: “It’s time to come home. It's time to win back this land. Macero said she doesn't know when Machado himself will return. But she was confident that this would one day be the case. Machado lives in exile in Panama.

The Venezuelan authorities accuse Machado of calling for military action against the country. Her latest entry attempt came while Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez was in New York, where she met US President Donald Trump for the first time.

Although the US authorities deny this, observers assume that the US does not want Machado to return. Trump has repeatedly expressed his satisfaction with Rodríguez's work. Rodríguez was Maduro's deputy until his capture.

Maduro in custody in New York

Maduro was captured in January during a US military operation in Venezuela's capital Caracas and brought to the USA. He is in custody in New York, where he is to be tried for “drug terrorism.” After Maduro's controversial re-election in July 2024, the authorities in Venezuela took tough action against the opposition.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people in Venezuela have called for Machado's return. Machado's Vente party called for the nationwide protests on Sunday.

At a rally in Barinas state in the south of the country, demonstrators also marched to the headquarters of the local electoral authority to demand presidential elections. "We will fight for the next president of Venezuela, María Corina Machado, to arrive," said protest participant Leandro González.

In the central state of Miranda, Machado's supporters marched through the town of Los Teques with the Venezuelan flag. The demand could be read on several signs: “Elections in 2027.” People in San Cristóbal in the west of the country took to the streets with similar slogans.

In the port city of Maracaibo, opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa called for opposition unity. "We must continue until we achieve the free and democratic country we strive for," he said.