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Venezuelan Demonstrators Demand Maria Corina Machado’s Safe Return and New Presidential Elections
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Rallies Call for Machado’s Return and Elections
Supporters of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado took to the streets in Caracas and other state capitals—including Valencia, Maracaibo and Mérida—on a Sunday. Hundreds of activists wearing sky-blue shirts, the colour of Machado’s Vente Venezuela party, rode motorcycles, honked horns and waved Venezuelan flags while urging the government to allow Machado’s safe return and to schedule presidential elections that could enable a democratic transition.
Background on Exile, Election Ban, and Return Attempts
Machado has been living in exile for the past nine months after being barred from running in the last presidential election by courts under former President Nicolás Maduro. Her stand-in candidate is widely believed to have won that vote with almost two-thirds of the tally, though Maduro declared victory and cracked down on dissent. Since her exile, Machado’s team reports seven unsuccessful attempts to re-enter Venezuela this year—three attempts on a Monday night, a sea-borne effort cancelled by a charter company, and a denied flight to Curaçao. Opposition activists accuse the Venezuelan government of blocking her return; Venezuelan authorities deny the allegation.
Official Statements & Responses
U.S. Trump-administration officials have denied that the United States is preventing Machado’s return, though they have sometimes advised her not to travel for safety reasons. The Venezuelan government has similarly rejected claims that it is obstructing her entry.
Verbatim Quotes
- “This is not a matter of parties or politics,” — Flavio Valentini, a Vente Venezuela activist in Caracas
- “We hope this transition process leads us to presidential elections and consolidates a free, democratic country that will be the main ally of the United States,” — Anthony Romero