Venezuelans Rally for Machado’s Safe Return and a Path to Presidential Elections
CARACAS, Venezuela — Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado took to the streets Sunday to demand her safe return and presidential elections that could open a democratic transition, as her allies accused the government of repeatedly blocking her from coming home.
In Caracas, hundreds of activists wearing sky blue shirts — the color of Machado’s Vente Venezuela party — rode motorcycles and drove along the capital’s main avenues, honking horns and waving Venezuelan flags. Similar demonstrations unfolded in state capitals including Valencia, Maracaibo and Mérida.
“This is not a matter of parties or politics,” said Flavio Valentini, a Vente Venezuela activist in Caracas who took a megaphone and addressed the crowd. “This is a movement for the people and by the people.”
The demonstrations reflected broader anger at a government that has been widely accused of stealing elections, jailing dissidents and stifling freedom of speech.
Machado has lived in exile for the past nine months, and her plans to return have been thwarted repeatedly. Opposition activists have accused Venezuelan authorities of blocking her return, a claim the government denies.
Her party said this week that Machado made three unsuccessful attempts to return Monday night, adding to a string of failed efforts that have heightened tensions over Venezuela’s political future.
“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,” said Anthony Romero, a leader of Vente Venezuela in Caracas.
Machado, one of Venezuela’s most popular political leaders, was barred from running in the country’s last presidential election by courts under former President Nicolás Maduro. But her stand-in candidate is widely believed to have won with nearly two-thirds of the vote.
Maduro claimed victory nonetheless and launched a violent crackdown on dissidents who protested the official results, forcing Machado and dozens of opposition leaders into hiding.
Last year, Machado smuggled herself out of Venezuela after she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to restore democracy in the South American country. A U.S. military operation removed Maduro in January, but Machado has been unable to return since. The government is now led by Delcy Rodríguez, a Maduro ally who has opened Venezuela’s oil industry to foreign investment and is working closely with the Trump administration.
Machado’s team said Monday that she attempted to return by sea from Panama, where she is now based, but the company that chartered her boat canceled the trip hours before departure, alleging the vessel was unfit for navigation. She later tried to fly to Curaçao, her team said, from where she could take a speedboat to Venezuela, but her plane was denied landing permits.
In all, Machado has made seven unsuccessful attempts to return this year, her party says. The repeated failures have led some critics to question whether the Trump administration is also involved in efforts to keep her out, a suggestion U.S. officials reject.
Trump administration officials deny they are holding Machado back, though they have said that on some occasions they advised against her return because of safety concerns.
Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a news conference that Machado has “every right to enter her country whenever she wants to return.” On Wednesday, Rubio said he was unaware of her most recent efforts to go back.
Rubio also said the United States would like to see thousands of Venezuelans return home and “open the businesses that they lost.” He has long argued that before Venezuela holds new elections, it must stabilize its economy and rebuild institutions such as its courts and electoral council.
The competing visions over when and how to hold elections — and whether Machado can take part — are likely to shape Venezuela’s next chapter. For now, her supporters say the street protests are meant to keep pressure on the authorities and signal that her movement remains a force.
Associated Press writer Manuel Rueda contributed from Bogota, Colombia.