Hundreds of supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado have taken to the streets to demand her safe return to the country and the holding of presidential elections.
The demonstrations were held on Sunday, September 27, in Caracas and several other cities, including Valencia, Maracaibo and Mérida. Protesters wore sky-blue shirts associated with Machado’s Vente Venezuela party, waved Venezuelan flags and called for political change.
The protests coincided with the return of Claudia Macero, a former aide to Machado who had been living in exile. Macero received a warm welcome from supporters at the airport serving Caracas.
“It is time to come home. It is time to recover the country,” Macero told the crowd, adding that Machado was working to return but that the process remained difficult.
Machado has been living outside Venezuela for about nine months. Her party says she has made three unsuccessful attempts to return, while government authorities deny blocking her return.
Venezuelan opposition activists are seeking presidential elections as part of what they describe as a transition towards democratic rule.
The government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, a political ally of former President Nicolas Maduro, has faced accusations of suppressing political opposition and restricting freedoms. However, Venezuela recently released more than three dozen political prisoners following US-backed talks between the interim government and the opposition.
Rodriguez told the United Nations General Assembly last week that Venezuela would hold elections as part of a transition to “full democracy”, but she did not announce a date.
Machado was barred from participating in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election. Her opposition coalition instead backed Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who opposition groups say won the election by a wide margin. Maduro’s government declared him the winner, leading to widespread protests and a crackdown on opposition activists.
In January 2026, US special forces abducted Maduro from his Caracas home, according to Al Jazeera. Rodriguez subsequently assumed the presidency.
Machado later received the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela, but she has remained unable to return to the country.
The latest demonstrations highlight continuing demands from Machado’s supporters for her return and for elections to be held as Venezuela undergoes its current political transition.
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