Nobel Winner Machado Blocked Three Times From Flying Back to Venezuela

VENEZUELA · POLITICS

The Nobel Peace Prize winner stayed in Panama while interim president Delcy Rodríguez met Donald Trump in New York.

Three attempts at a Machado return to Venezuela failed on Monday and Tuesday, her team said. The Nobel Peace Prize winner remains in Panama, her advisers told the Spanish news agency EFE.

What Machado’s Team Says Happened

Machado’s team told EFE that she tried to reach Venezuela from Panama three times this week. Each time, the journey was stopped before she could leave.

Her team said she “has been prevented from flying out of Panama” and “remains there, unable to leave”. The advisers did not say who stopped her.

Pedro Urruchurtu, her international relations adviser, wrote on X that three attempts had failed. He said they came by sea and air, from Panama.

Urruchurtu wrote that she was not being allowed to return to her own country. He put the running total at seven failed attempts in recent weeks.

The Routes That Did Not Work

Her party, Vente Venezuela, shared an account by the journalist Idania Chirinos, who was with her in Panama. Chirinos said the first plan was a boat crossing on Monday.

Her passport had already been stamped, Chirinos said, but the boat operator cancelled over mechanical faults. Chirinos described those faults as strange.

The next day, a plane meant to carry Machado to Aruba never took off, Chirinos said. A later flight towards Curaçao was also abandoned.

The Spanish newspaper ABC and Colombia’s NTN24 reported the same sequence. They described a mix of mechanical problems, late cancellations and airspace restrictions.

Why She Wants to Go Back Now

Machado told The Wall Street Journal this month that the moment to return had arrived. She said she could not lead a political process from abroad.

She wants a new presidential election and a tour of Venezuela’s 23 states. She has said she would run if a vote is held.

Machado left Venezuela in December 2025 after about a year in hiding. She went to collect the Nobel Peace Prize she had won that October.

An earlier attempt to return failed in late June, days after two earthquakes struck Venezuela. She said then that the government had closed commercial airspace to keep her out.

Who Blocked the Machado Return to Venezuela

That is the part nobody has confirmed. Her party told the French news agency AFP she was prevented from returning, but named no one.

Panama’s government has not commented publicly on the attempts. No official there has explained why the flights did not leave.

The Spanish newspaper ABC reported that Panama issued Machado a special diplomatic passport on humanitarian grounds. It did not grant her Panamanian nationality.

In July, a US State Department official addressed the question at a congressional hearing. Cartwright Weiland said on 15 July that Washington would not stop her going back.

Weiland said she was a Venezuelan citizen with the right to return. Reuters reported that US officials privately urged her to delay that return after the June earthquakes.

Venezuela’s main opposition coalition demanded on Tuesday that her right to return be respected. The Plataforma Unitaria Democrática expressed what it called firm solidarity with her.

Machado, Rodríguez and the New Caracas

The attempts came as Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, was in New York. She met US President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening at a reception he hosted.

It was their first meeting since US forces captured then-president Nicolás Maduro in Caracas in January. He was flown to New York to face narcotics charges, which he denies.

Rodríguez was Maduro’s vice president and took over as acting president. She was never elected to the office and her legitimacy is disputed, with Maduro and Rodríguez herself both maintaining that he remains the lawful officeholder.

Washington recognised her government and has deepened ties since. She called the meeting historic and said they discussed energy, mining and security.

The White House released no joint statement afterwards.

What It Means for Expats and Investors in Latin America

Venezuela is opening to foreign money faster than its politics are settling. Reuters reported that Rodríguez’s delegation held talks in New York on energy, mining and debt.

Two people close to the delegation told Reuters the aim was to make the country look “investable”. Those talks involved US officials, multilateral lenders and companies.

For expats across the region, the practical effect shows up in migration, not in headlines. Colombia, Panama, Peru and Chile all host large Venezuelan communities.

For investors, the signal is mixed. Deals are being agreed while transition talks on a future election are still running in Caracas.

What Is Known and What Is Not

Known: Machado’s team and her party say three attempts failed, and she is still in Panama. Her adviser puts the total at seven.

Not known: who stopped the boat and the two flights. Her party named nobody, and Panama has said nothing in public.

Also not known: whether the attempts were coordinated with Washington, and whether she had security guarantees. Machado herself has not spoken publicly about them.

Reports differ on the dates, and some describe three tries within 24 hours. Rodríguez was due to address the General Assembly on Wednesday, while Machado waits in Panama for another chance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is María Corina Machado now?

Her team says she is in Panama. They say she has been prevented from flying out, and she has not reached Venezuela.

How many times has she tried to return?

Her adviser Pedro Urruchurtu says seven attempts have failed in recent weeks. Three of those came on Monday and Tuesday, according to her team.

Who is running Venezuela now?

Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, has been interim president since January. Washington recognises her government and met her at the United Nations this week.

Sources: EFE, 23 September 2026; Reuters; AFP; Bloomberg via The Straits Times; Europa Press via El Independiente; El Observador; Estadão; The Wall Street Journal via Latin Times; Norwegian Nobel Committee, 10 October 2025.