Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returns from exile, directly challenging interim rule. Guacara: Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela's prominent opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, returned to her homeland on Sunday following nearly a year in exile, presenting a. Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, made a surprise return home on Sunday after nearly a year in exile, drawing jubilant crowds in a direct challenge.