Caracas (TDI): Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado has accused the country’s interim government of preventing her from returning home following the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week.
Speaking in a video message posted on X from Panama, Machado said she had intended to travel back to Venezuela to stand alongside those affected by the disaster but alleged that authorities had taken steps to obstruct her return.
According to Machado, the government temporarily restricted Venezuela’s commercial airspace to stop her from entering the country. She claimed the decision was later reversed but alleged that individuals willing to assist her return had been subjected to pressure and intimidation.
The main international airport serving Caracas, located in Maiquetia, suffered damage during the earthquakes and remains only partially operational. While humanitarian flights have resumed, international air traffic continues through airports in Valencia and Maracaibo.
The twin earthquakes, which struck last week, caused widespread destruction and claimed the lives of more than 1,700 people, leaving thousands displaced and placing emergency services under severe strain.
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Machado has been living outside Venezuela since December, when she left the country and later travelled to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Since then, she has continued to campaign from abroad for political reforms and democratic change in Venezuela.
The country’s political landscape has remained deeply divided since the disputed 2024 presidential election, in which the opposition claimed its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, had won despite the official declaration of victory for then-president Nicolas Maduro. Maduro was later removed from power during a US military operation, after which Vice President Delcy Rodriguez assumed the role of interim president.
Earlier this year, Machado said she was prepared to engage in negotiations aimed at facilitating a democratic political transition. However, the interim administration has not publicly responded to those proposals.
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The latest dispute over Machado’s attempted return comes at a time when Venezuela is grappling with both a humanitarian emergency and continued political uncertainty. The devastating earthquakes have added further pressure on authorities already facing significant economic and governance challenges.
