DOMINANT ANGLE
Bern-Zurich, through the voice of the Times and SRF, weighs this return in light of Washington: a Nobel return while Donald Trump praises cooperation with Delcy Rodríguez.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
María Corina Machado, 60, announced her return on Sunday, October 25, on X: "I'm here. With you.", after nearly a year in exile, including at least seven failed attempts to return, according to her party (Le Temps).
- 02
Donald Trump, when asked, said he knew nothing about the return and described Machado as "a very pleasant woman", adding that she had given him her Nobel Prize (Le Temps, SRF).
- 03
According to SRF, Delcy Rodríguez has been in charge of Venezuela since Nicolás Maduro was captured by the US army in January, and the return comes shortly after a controversial US oil deal.
ANALYSIS
Berne, October 26, 2026. The Swiss government is following the return of María Corina Machado, announced on Sunday, October 25. The Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner wrote on the X network: "I am here. With you." According to Swiss sources, she had left the country in December 2025 to receive her award, after nearly a year in hiding, and had attempted to return at least seven times, in vain. At 60 years old, she was exiled in Panama, and her return marks the end of an absence marked by several demonstrations demanding her return.
The Swiss press recalls that she left the country after a year in hiding, amidst a wave of arrests.
The Lausanne daily details the first stage: the Santa Rosa church in Barquisimeto, some 400 km west of Caracas, where she came to thank the Virgin. Images broadcast by her team show supporters, some in tears, shouting: "Here is your people, María!" The SRF notes that Machado did not provide any details about her place of residence and that she was already largely in the shadows before her departure.
The German-speaking channel quotes Edmundo González, who says: "Today is a very important day": with her, he says, "our sovereign voice returns to lead this process and put it on the right track".
However, the essential part of the Swiss perspective passes through Washington. When asked by journalists, Donald Trump replied: "I don't know anything about this, but I think she's a very nice woman. She gave me her Nobel Prize, so how could I say otherwise?" He added that he hopes she is safe and that "we're doing very well in Venezuela". The SRF recalls that Trump regularly praises his good relationship with Delcy Rodríguez.
The context is set straightforwardly: Nicolás Maduro was captured in January by the US army in Caracas, and former Vice President Rodríguez has been leading the oil-rich country since then. The SRF emphasizes that the return comes a few weeks after a controversial American oil deal, which places the scene in a game of interests where the Nobel laureate appears as one actor among others, rather than as an arbiter of the political calendar.
