Venezuelans March for an Election Date
Thousands joined the first nationwide opposition protest in nearly two years, organized by María Corina Machado's movement, to demand free elections. The interim government says there will be elections but has set no date.
Thousands of Venezuelans marched in Caracas, Valencia, Maracay, San Cristóbal and Maracaibo to demand free elections and other political changes, in the first nationwide opposition protest in nearly two years, Reuters reported. The march was organized by Vente Venezuela, the movement of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, who has said elections must take place by July 2027.
Venezuela has been led by interim President Delcy Rodríguez since January 3, after U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro in a military raid. Rodríguez and President Trump have both said there will be elections, but no date has been set.
Government forces had a minimal presence at protest sites, and in many smaller cities marchers went home before dark, Reuters reported; the report described no clashes and no arrests. The ruling United Socialist Party held its own march in Caracas, which it said marked Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Caracas, Venezuela — Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets in several cities to demand free elections, in the first nationwide opposition protest in nearly two years.
What the marchers say they want
Vente Venezuela, the movement led by María Corina Machado, organized the protest in Caracas, Valencia, Maracay, San Cristóbal and Maracaibo, Reuters reported. Marchers called for free elections and other political changes. Machado, who has been outside the country for nearly a year, has said elections must be held by July 2027. "I went out to protest before, when things were much tougher, and I'm even less afraid today because I want my voice to be heard," Leosmary Hernández, an 18-year-old cosmetology student, told Reuters in Maracay.
The government's side
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, Maduro's former vice president, has led the country since January 3. She and President Trump have said there will be elections; no date has been set. The Reuters report carried no direct government comment on the protest. Government forces had a minimal presence at protest sites, Reuters reported, and the report described no clashes or arrests.
A second march
The ruling party called its supporters to march from Caracas's Plaza Venezuela, where the opposition had planned to gather two hours later, to a spot near the presidential palace. The party said the march was to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello was shown on state television attending. The opposition moved its gathering to a nearby location.
The talks and the U.S. role
A faction of the opposition and the interim government held their latest round of U.S.-backed talks this month on remaking the Supreme Court and the electoral council ahead of eventual elections. Machado's movement is not part of those talks, though she has said she will not stand in their way. The Trump administration has backed Rodríguez's leadership while exerting control over Venezuela's oil resources and pressing her government for reforms. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face drug and torture charges in the United States and have pleaded not guilty.