Venezuela’s Machado rallies in Spain’s capital

Venezuela’s exiled opposition leader María Corina Machado drew several thousand supporters Saturday to a rally in Madrid, where the Nobel laureate declined a meeting with Spain's progressive Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on a multicountry European tour.

- BY SUMAN NAISHADHAM

Sánchez, an outspoken critic of President Trump, was hosting a summit of like minded progressive leaders from around the world Saturday, while Machado extolled Trump's ouster of Nicolás Maduro in January. Earlier this year, she presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize.

“What happened in the last few hours at the meeting [Sánchez] held in Barcelona with several leaders and political figures from different countries demonstrates why such a meeting was not advisable,” Machado told reporters Saturday.

At an earlier event, Machado insisted that she will be returning to Venezuela, but declined to say when, or how, and acknowledged the challenges implicit in a return to her country.