Maria Corina Machado made at least seven previous attempts to return to Venezuela but was blocked by authorities, according to her party. (EPA Images pic)CARACAS: Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado returned to her home country Sunday after almost a year in exile, greeting ecstatic supporters at a church in the city of Barquisimeto.
Video shared by her Vente party showed the leader, in a trademark white tee-shirt and blue jeans, embracing cheering supporters at a church. "Venezuela will be free!" the party said.
Machado's return is likely to heap pressure on interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who has led the country under Washington's watchful eye since US forces ousted longtime leader Nicolas Maduro in January.
