Venezuela's opposition leader Machado returns after months in exile, as doubts over democracy deepen

* Machado returns to Venezuela after 10 months in exile. * Rodríguez remains acting president without scheduled elections. * Opposition pushes for presidential vote amid U.S. focus on stability. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned from exile Sunday for the first time since December, a month before the U.S. military removed President Nicolás Maduro. Machado announced her arrival on social media, writing, "I am here. With you." Fellow opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez confirmed the return on X, stating he would join her soon and that "today is a very important day for Venezuelans." Machado's homecoming follows 11 months in hiding after a brief detention in January 2025 and a clandestine escape to Norway, where she received the Nobel Peace Prize. Since Maduro's ouster, acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime ally, has governed without holding elections, exceeding her authorized term. Machado and allies demand a presidential election date, but U.S. officials prioritize economic stabilization.