Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets on Thursday in the country’s first nationwide opposition protest in nearly two years, demanding free elections, political reforms and the release of prisoners they consider to be held for political reasons.
The demonstrations took place in the capital, Caracas, and other cities, including Valencia, Maracay, San Cristobal and Maracaibo, with security forces maintaining a limited presence at protest sites.
The protest was organised by opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado’s Vente Venezuela movement, amid uncertainty over when the country would hold its next elections.
The United States has been working closely with Venezuela’s interim government, led by acting President Delcy Rodriguez, since US forces captured President Nicolas Maduro in January.
Both US President Donald Trump and Rodriguez, Maduro’s former deputy, have said elections will take place, but neither has announced a date for legislative or presidential polls.
Machado, who has been outside Venezuela for nearly a year after spending time in hiding following the disputed 2024 presidential election, has called for elections to be held by July 2027.
Venezuela’s socialist movement has been in power since 1999, first under the late President Hugo Chavez and later Maduro. Authorities have previously deployed security forces against protesters challenging political repression, high inflation, poor public services and other problems in the economically troubled country.
The government also faced protests following the 2024 presidential election, which the opposition disputed.
On Thursday, the ruling Socialist Party organised a separate march from Plaza Venezuela in Caracas towards an area near the presidential palace to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
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Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who has close ties to the security services, was shown on state television attending the ruling party’s march as opposition supporters moved their demonstration to a nearby location.
Negotiations Continue
US-backed negotiations between a faction of the opposition and the interim government continued this month, focusing on reforms to the Supreme Court and electoral council ahead of future elections.
However, the talks do not include Machado’s political movement, although she has said she would not obstruct their progress.
Machado’s stand-in candidate won the 2024 presidential election by a wide margin, according to vote tallies published by the opposition. The government backed Maduro’s victory but did not release a full breakdown of the results, while the country’s legal and electoral institutions also supported his claim.
“We want presidential elections now. We want an electoral timetable to be announced now. We are not going to wait until 2028,” said Maria Debora Marin, 57, a clothing shop owner in central Valencia.
Marin was referring to speculation that elections might not take place until 2028.
Machado went into hiding following the arrests of some of her closest associates. Her last public appearance in Venezuela was during protests marking Maduro’s third inauguration in January 2025, when she was briefly detained.
She has long sought US support, aligning herself with members of the Trump administration who argued that Maduro’s alleged links to drug gangs posed a direct threat to US national security.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are facing drug-related and torture charges in the United States. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Trump has repeatedly praised Rodriguez’s leadership and willingness to welcome US investors, saying last month that it was too early to consider holding elections.
Washington’s position has created tensions over Machado’s plans to return home, particularly following devastating twin earthquakes in June. Reuters has reported that US officials asked her to delay her return.
“We’re in limbo,” said Rayeska Puesme, an 18-year-old recent graduate who attended the protest in Caracas, adding that she had considered leaving Venezuela because of limited opportunities.
“The United States removed one big problem, which was Maduro, but the rest are still there,” she said.
Demonstrators also demanded the release of people they said were being held for political reasons.
Foro Penal, a legal rights organisation that represents detained opposition figures and others, said more than 320 political prisoners remained in Venezuela despite releases under an amnesty law backed by the legislature earlier this year.
The government has repeatedly denied holding political prisoners and has described the amnesty as generous.
