{"id":9702,"date":"2026-10-18T23:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T23:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=9702"},"modified":"2026-10-18T23:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T23:02:14","slug":"venezuela-opposition-renews-support-for-maria-corina-machado-as-leader-elections-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=9702","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela opposition renews support for Maria Corina Machado as leader | Elections News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An alliance of Venezuelan opposition parties has reaffirmed its commitment to exiled Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado as its leader.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, members of the opposition\u2019s Unitary Democratic Platform (PUD) agreed in a meeting in Caracas to \u201crecognise and support the leadership of Maria Corina Machado\u201d.<\/p>\n

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The coalition also renewed its demand for free elections in Venezuela, following a series of contested presidential votes in 2024 and 2018.<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s statement included 14 proposals for a democratic transition, including freedom for political parties, the release of all political prisoners and the safe return of those who went into exile.<\/p>\n

The announcement also increases pressure on authorities to allow Machado\u2019s return. She has been living in exile since leaving Venezuela last December to receive her Nobel Prize.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe will of the Venezuelans must once again govern the destiny of our nation,\u201d the opposition\u2019s former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez wrote<\/a> on social media supporting the proposals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not accept political prisoners, persecution or a governing power that disregards the mandate of its citizens. Living in freedom and under a genuine constitutional order is a legitimate demand of our society.\u201d<\/p>\n

No election set<\/h2>\n

Venezuela has yet to declare a date for a new presidential vote. Since January 3, the country has been led by interim President Delcy Rodriguez of the long-governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).<\/p>\n

PSUV leaders have been accused of carrying out human rights abuses against political dissidents, including arbitrary arrest, imprisonment and torture.<\/p>\n

Still, after the United States launched a military operation to abduct and jail former President Nicolas Maduro, the PSUV has remained in power with the support of the White House.<\/p>\n

US President Donald Trump has backed Rodriguez\u2019s leadership, despite her having been Maduro\u2019s vice president.<\/p>\n

His administration has maintained an active role in Venezuela, exerting control over its oil resources and pressuring the Rodriguez government for reforms.<\/p>\n

But critics point out that Trump has been reluctant to push Rodriguez for new elections, opting instead for a three-phase plan that focuses first on stabilising the country and economic recovery before pursuing a political transition.<\/p>\n

Machado, meanwhile, has told The Financial Times she would like to see Venezuela hold elections by July next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe US government and the Venezuelan people all agree \u2060\u2060that the only way to make \u2060\u2060this sustainable and \u2060\u2060a real victory is to turn Venezuela into a stable democracy,\u201d she told the newspaper earlier this month.<\/p>\n

A thwarted return<\/h2>\n

Venezuelan authorities blocked Machado\u2019s repeated attempts to return to the country, according to her party, Vente Venezuela.<\/p>\n

Machado has also reportedly attempted to petition the Trump administration for help re-entering Venezuela.<\/p>\n

Separately, she gifted Trump her Nobel Peace Prize in January, during a visit to Washington, DC. Media reports, however, have suggested friction between the Trump administration and Machado.<\/p>\n

In interviews with Reuters and Axios, US administration officials have anonymously expressed frustration with the opposition leader\u2019s repeated efforts to return home, particularly after a pair of deadly earthquakes in Venezuela last July.<\/p>\n

Axios quoted one official as calling Machado\u2019s push \u201cpolitical opportunism\u201d.<\/p>\n

Machado, however, remains one of the most popular figures in Venezuela\u2019s opposition.<\/p>\n

In October 2023, Machado won the opposition coalition\u2019s presidential primary, but in January 2024, Venezuela\u2019s courts blocked her from running in the upcoming race.<\/p>\n

The courts upheld a 15-year ban on her holding public office, reportedly due to her support of US sanctions against the Maduro government.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez ultimately replaced Machado as the opposition candidate in the 2024 race. Maduro claimed victory for a third term as Venezuela\u2019s president in that election cycle, despite widespread criticism that the vote did not meet democratic standards.<\/p>\n

The opposition released vote tallies that appeared to show Gonzalez had won the race.<\/p>\n

The US had recognised Gonzalez<\/a> as the country\u2019s rightful president-elect and denied the legitimacy of Maduro\u2019s election claims.<\/p>\n

Machado was previously removed from the National Assembly in 2014, due to her activism against the Venezuelan government.<\/p>\n

A third round of talks between the Rodriguez government and the opposition began in Venezuela this month.<\/p>\n

But instead of including Machado, the negotiations have involved members of the 2015 National Assembly, which was led by the opposition and dissolved under Maduro.<\/p>\n

Still, in a statement this month, the US State Department praised the talks as aiding the Venezuelan government\u2019s reform.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolitical reconciliation talks between the interim Venezuelan government and 2015 National Assembly representatives are producing tangible reforms in civil liberties and political rights, laying the groundwork for credible elections and a democratic transition,\u201d the State Department said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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An alliance of Venezuelan opposition parties has reaffirmed its commitment to exiled Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado as its leader. On Sunday, members of the opposition\u2019s Unitary Democratic Platform (PUD) agreed in a meeting in Caracas to \u201crecognise and support the leadership of Maria Corina Machado\u201d. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t