Machado presses for Venezuelan elections in 2027
Machado made her first public remarks since returning to Venezuela on Sunday after 10 months in exile. Speaking in Caracas on Thursday, she said her priorities were dismantling the repressive system and securing the release of political prisoners. She also said she had received no message from Rodríguez or the U.S. government regarding a potential meeting with the interim president.
Machado said the three-stage plan outlined by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio—stabilization, recovery and transition—was advancing toward a presidential vote in 2027. Neither the U.S. nor Venezuela has announced an election date. Machado said she would not obstruct reconciliation talks supported by Washington, though neither she nor her political platform is part of them.
Rodríguez addressed the country shortly before Machado spoke. She said elections would take place under a renewed electoral authority, but did not specify when. Rodríguez urged that voting not reignite political confrontation and also promised continued reforms, including a rule that detentions require judicial warrants.
Machado praised the U.S. role in the political transition, including its January 3 operation that removed former President Nicolás Maduro and led to his capture. Washington has since worked with Rodríguez’s interim government, while Machado has criticized that government as a continuation of Maduro’s system. Rubio said Machado’s safe return followed U.S.-backed reconciliation discussions. Earlier attempts by Machado to return had failed.
Machado’s return highlights the limits of a U.S.-managed transition
Machado returned to Venezuela after 10 months in exile and used her first public remarks in Caracas to demand an end to authoritarian rule and the freeing of political prisoners. Her absence from the U.S.-backed negotiations is a central tension in a transition Washington says is moving toward elections in 2027.
Machado praised the Trump administration’s role, including the January 3 operation that removed Nicolás Maduro. But Washington is now working with interim President Delcy Rodríguez, whom Machado regards as a continuation of Maduro’s government. Machado said she had received no message from Rodríguez or Washington about a meeting, and neither she nor her political platform is participating in the reconciliation talks.
Rodríguez promised elections under a renewed electoral authority, without setting a date, and said the vote should not revive confrontation. She also promised that detentions would require judicial warrants. Machado said she would not obstruct the talks, while insisting that ending authoritarian rule and freeing political prisoners must be priorities.
Rubio described Machado’s safe return as the result of reconciliation discussions and called the moment a major opportunity for free elections. Yet the transition’s credibility will be tested by whether it gives the opposition leader a meaningful place in the political process and delivers the freedoms she is demanding.
Venezuela’s transition advances toward elections as Machado returns
Venezuela is moving toward elections after the U.S.-backed transition began following Nicolás Maduro’s removal on January 3. Machado returned after 10 months abroad and said the process outlined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio—stabilization, recovery and transition—was advancing toward a presidential vote in 2027.
Machado credited U.S. action with opening the way to political change and said she would not obstruct reconciliation talks. Rubio said those discussions helped make her safe return possible and described them as an opportunity for free and fair elections. Machado and her political platform are not part of the talks, and she said she had received no message from Rodríguez or Washington about a meeting.
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez also affirmed that elections would take place, promising a renewed electoral authority while leaving the date unspecified. She urged political groups to avoid a return to confrontation and announced continued reforms, including a commitment that detentions require judicial warrants.
The transition now faces the task of moving from political commitments to an election. Machado is pressing for the release of political prisoners and dismantling the repressive system, while Rodríguez says the country must proceed without renewed conflict. The United States has continued working with the interim government as it seeks to steer Venezuela toward a vote.
Reported by CNN, Local 10 Miami, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
