Venezuela’s opposition leader returns to push for 2027 vote

María Corina Machado has returned to Venezuela from exile to organize public support for new presidential elections scheduled for 2027. The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate spoke on Thursday during her first news conference since arriving in the country on Sunday. She stated that her return was intended to fulfill a mandate and finish a specific political task.

The US government has defined a sequence of steps for the democratic transition in South America. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that Venezuela must alter its electoral infrastructure to conduct a valid vote. A senior State Department official indicated that a new Supreme Tribunal of Justice should be established by the end of the year. A new National Electoral Council is expected to follow shortly after the judiciary is replaced.

Once these institutions are in place, acting President Delcy Rodríguez will be required to declare a permanent vacancy in the presidency. This declaration will trigger a six-month period leading to the election. The National Electoral Council will then set the specific date for the vote. Neither the United States nor the Venezuelan government has announced a fixed date for the election so far.

Machado credited the US for leading the transition process. She described the approach as addressing a national urgency with responsibility. She stated that recent events have made the democratic transition irreversible. She noted that Maduro is facing justice thanks to US actions and that the floodgates of freedom have opened.

Machado left for Norway in December to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. The United States captured strongman leader Nicolás Maduro in a military operation on January 3, one month after her departure. Washington has worked with Rodríguez since then to enact political reforms. Rodríguez has released hundreds of political prisoners and allowed some exiles to return home.

Rodriguez addressed the nation in a recorded message shortly before Machado spoke. She did not directly acknowledge Machado’s return but urged opponents to judge by the facts rather than fight. She stated that elections will occur as mandated by the constitution. She also announced that the government is assessing whether to offer non-essential state assets to the private sector or former owners.

Machado said she is not part of the reconciliation talks brokered by Washington between the acting government and opposition figures such as Dinorah Figuera. She expressed hope that those talks succeed. She said her return is having an impact on the government, as evidenced by Rodríguez’s commitment to new elections. Machado said she has not received any message from the United States or Rodríguez regarding plans to meet.

Washington has maintained a friendly relationship with Machado but has kept her at a distance from the formal transition process. In January, Machado gave her Nobel Prize medal to President Donald Trump. Trump accepted the gift without endorsing her candidacy. He previously stated that she lacked the support and respect needed to lead the country. Machado continues to back the Trump administration while condemning the acting government as a continuation of the Maduro regime.

Machado said she received help from a well-qualified team inside and outside the country to enter Venezuela. She said she learned from previous failed attempts and changed her approach. She said the acting government did not see her return coming. She has vowed to run for president if an election is held, a stance she maintained during her ten months in exile.