Venezuelans call for elections in first national protest in nearly two years

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado shout slogans during a rally to demand elections in Caracas on Thursday. | AFP-JIJI

REUTERS

Oct 23, 2026

CARACAS/MARACAY/VALENCIA, VENEZUELA, – Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets on Thursday in the first nationwide opposition protest in nearly two years, as demonstrators demanded free elections and other political changes with a notably thin presence of security forces.

The United States has been working closely with the interim government led by acting President Delcy Rodriguez since U.S. forces captured President Nicolas Maduro in January. Both U.S. President Donald Trump and Rodriguez, Maduro’s former deputy, have said there will be elections but have not set a date either for a legislative vote or a national contest for president.

Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who has been outside the country for nearly a year after living in hiding following a contested 2024 election, has said elections must take place by July 2027.

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