Venezuela's chief opponent makes triumphal return from exile

The leading opponent to Venezuela's socialist regime, María Corina Machado, returned home on October 25 after a ten-month absence and several failed attempts to enter Venezuela. She was received by jubilant crowds in Caracas, after making her way there by land from her last base in Panama. Days before, the opposition organized protests demanding both her return and dates for a general election to hasten Venezuela's transition to democracy. Machado's return was seen as a challenge to the interim government led by Delcy Rodríguez and perhaps also the Trump administration in Washington, which promised a transition after toppling President Nicolás Maduro in January but proceeded to do business with the regime. There were speculations President Donald J. Trump was impeding her return, and his latest response seemed lukewarm. He said "I don't know anything about it but I think she's a very nice woman... I hope she's safe," C-SPAN reported. Still, the return was unlikely without the administration's approval and in part the fruit of lobbying by Machado's allies in Washington including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Republican senators Richard Scott and María Elvira Salazar. Speaking in Florida on 23 October, Salazar said "Delcy can't jail anyone [she's] in communication with the State Department... [and the administration, which] has promised there will be a transition in Venezuela." Machado is winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.

Brazil's Lula da Silva wins a fourth presidential mandate

Brazil's sitting president, the socialist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, won a fourth term in the second round of the general election held on 25 October, confounding predictions that his right-wing rival would narrowly win. His opponent, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, was refusing to concede defeat in spite of an initial count giving Lula a clear lead. The website Infobae noted that Lula was "until today" the first president to retain office after coming second in the first round of elections, adding that the 64 million votes he won (from a total of just over 128 million votes) was a record beating his 60 million votes of 2022. Regional leaders including conservatives swiftly recognized and congratulated him on his victory. The exception was the U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who had backed Bolsonaro; he appeared to doubt the election's legitimacy, alleging Lula had used "the Biden method" or manual to win, meaning he cheated.