Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to the country on Sunday after more than 10 months in exile, marking a significant development amid mounting demands for presidential elections and uncertainty over the country's political transition.
Machado announced her arrival on social media, while opposition ally Edmundo González confirmed her return.
Footage showed the Nobel Peace Prize laureate attending Mass at a church in Lara state, where supporters welcomed her.
Machado's homecoming follows several unsuccessful attempts to re-enter Venezuela, including seven reported attempts within weeks last September.
She had previously gone into hiding after a brief arrest in January 2025 before travelling to Norway in December to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Her return comes months after US forces captured former President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026.
Maduro remains detained in New York, facing drug, weapons and torture charges, which he denies.
Vice President Delcy Rodríguez subsequently assumed the interim presidency with Washington's backing.
Her administration has cooperated with President Donald Trump on political reforms and an oil agreement granting the United States favourable access to Venezuelan reserves.
However, Rodríguez has remained in office beyond her initially authorised 90-day period without announcing elections.
Machado's arrival follows nationwide opposition demonstrations earlier this week, when thousands demanded elections in the country's first major nationwide opposition protest in nearly two years.
The opposition maintains that González defeated Maduro in the disputed 2024 presidential election, although electoral authorities declared Maduro victorious without publishing detailed voting results.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attributed Machado's safe return to Washington-backed reconciliation negotiations, which he said had facilitated the release of hundreds of political prisoners and the return of opposition figures from exile.
Trump, who previously questioned Machado's domestic political support, told reporters Sunday that he was unaware of her return but hoped she remained safe.
Machado has previously expressed willingness to contest another presidential election.
Her immediate political plans remain unclear, while opposition representatives describe her return as progress toward a democratic transition.