María Corina Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and Venezuelan opposition leader, held a news conference in Caracas on Thursday to announce her call for elections to be held in 2027. She characterized the country’s movement toward democratic governance as an irreversible process and expressed gratitude to the Trump administration for actions she credited with facilitating her ability to return.
On the same day, Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president and predecessor to Maduro as vice-president, confirmed that elections would be held but stated that her government should oversee the transition process. Rodríguez did not specify a voting date. Machado dismissed this approach as impractical, though she did not provide an exact timeline for when elections should occur.
Machado’s return to Venezuela followed multiple earlier unsuccessful attempts to re-enter the country. She had departed the previous year by speedboat under cover of darkness to travel to Norway and receive the Nobel Peace Prize. In January, the United States apprehended former President Nicolás Maduro, and the Trump administration subsequently supported Rodríguez’s assumption of interim leadership. Rodríguez later signed an oil agreement favorable to United States interests.
At her news conference, Machado stated she intended to fulfill a task and complete a mandate, reporting that thousands of supporters had gathered along her route into the capital. The opposition leader indicated she would not directly participate in electoral negotiations between opposition representatives and the government, though she expressed support for efforts to reform the electoral body to enable voting by all Venezuelans, both domestically and abroad.
Rodríguez delivered remarks in a conciliatory manner, instructing security agencies not to detain individuals without judicial authorization except when crimes are being actively committed. She also indicated openness to dialogue, referenced accessible channels for returning exiles, and spoke of building consensus among Venezuelans.
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