María Corina Machado is back to bring stability to Venezuela

It has been 10 months of uncertainty since January 3 of this year. Maduro's capture gave Venezuelans hope, but Delcy Rodríguez's presence at Miraflores is disorienting. Although everyone expected that, after Maduro's departure, we would be free, the fact that the regime's remnants stayed in power sent mixed signals—even as the U.S. insisted it was all part of a process that would inevitably lead to free elections.

Compounding the political uncertainty, the country is facing difficult economic times, with rampant inflation and a total collapse of the electrical grid, causing blackouts that last several hours across Venezuela. People are angry. They are frustrated. And this translates into discontent in the polls, renewed migration, and spontaneous, daily protests with no specific agenda.

María Corina Machado, the undisputed leader of the Venezuelan opposition, returned to Venezuela this Sunday after nearly a year in exile. Her entry was clandestine, part of an operation her team described as risky and complex. She returned on her ninth attempt, after previous efforts failed for various reasons. Press reports range from planes that had to turn back mid-flight to obstacles and bans on landing or taking off to the breakdown of a boat that was supposed to take her across the Caribbean to her country. A force majeure, which no one has yet been able to definitively identify, was preventing her from returning to Venezuela. Although Secretary Rubio acknowledged on Monday during a call with journalists that several countries had conspired to hinder Machado's return to avoid "getting into trouble"... The natural question is, trouble with whom? The question is rhetorical, of course.

María Corina Machado's arrival in Venezuela sparked an impressive, spontaneous wave of street support. Venezuela was overflowing. She first appeared at a Marian church in Lara state, then set out for Venezuela's capital, Caracas. The distance is about 250 miles, a trip that would normally take about 4.5 hours. Because so many people gathered along the nearly 250-mile highway, the 4-hour trip turned into an 11-hour one. Tens of thousands of Venezuelans spontaneously gathered along the highway that ran through six states so they could see her, even if only for a few seconds, or touch her. The atmosphere throughout Venezuela was one of excitement and joy. The country seemed to be celebrating, with fireworks accompanying María Corina's long-awaited arrival in Caracas at around 11 p.m.

Tens of thousands of people, if not hundreds of thousands, across the entire country. People stood in the street for 10 hours, hoping to witness history being made in real time. Thousands of motorcycles joined Machado's motorcade, along with trucks, buses, and private vehicles.

One argument frequently whispered in the corridors was that María Corina should not return to Venezuela, as she would destabilize a calm country—a nation moving to the rhythm of the "stabilization" imposed by the Americans. Another argument was that María Corina jeopardized the transition and that her presence challenged Marco Rubio’s three-phase process. Both arguments collapsed within the last 24 hours.

Thousands took to the streets, celebrating spontaneously, and there wasn't a single incident. Sunday was a day of peace and celebration throughout Venezuela. At the same time, the feeling over the last two days is that the transition finally has a clear direction and, with María Corina on the ground, is moving in the right direction. It's a matter of perception, but a powerful one, rooted in the opposition leader's return.

María Corina Machado is not a destabilizing force that jeopardizes the transition proposed by the United States. Quite the opposite. Amid the uncertainty, frustration, and hatred Delcy Rodríguez has provoked, María Corina's presence on the ground sends the message that things are under control. That there is leadership that can be trusted and that all frustration should be channeled through her guidance.

The absence of the main opposition leader from the field unsettled Venezuelans because it contradicted the rhetoric that Venezuela has changed, that exiles can return and that the country is moving toward democracy. How can this be true if the main opposition leader cannot be in her own country?

Difficult months lie ahead. The regime, true to its nature, will react aggressively to Machado's stabilizing influence. To undo what has been achieved, it will seek to destabilize the situation. Today, the regime needs Machado on the ground to create chaos; since reality doesn't support that, it will try to create a parallel reality. But, once again, it will be exposed for what it is: Chavismo, in truth, is chaos and violence.