Caracas, Venezuela – Venezuela’s opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has described the political transition in her country as “irreversible,” in her first news conference since returning to the country on Sunday.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, Machado, who spent more than 10 months in exile, called for presidential elections to be held in 2027. “The date of the election is the date of our liberation, she said.
White House-sponsored talks are ongoing between the government of Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who replaced ousted leader Nicolás Maduro in January, and members of the opposition separate to Machado’s Vente Venezuela movement.
Machado went into hiding for more than a year following the 2024 election, which the opposition is widely believed to have won, despite Nicolas Maduro claiming he had won another term in office. Machado left Venezuela in December 2025 to receive her Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. She said she had made eight unsuccessful attempts to return to the country by plane and boat in the last few months.
The news conference was held at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB) in Caracas on Thursday, where Machado graduated as an industrial engineer. She was greeted by hundreds of students – many of whom were too young to vote in the 2024 election.
“I have returned to mobilize society, to contribute, to further organize all our teams and citizen networks,” she said, highlighting that all sectors, political and civil organizations would be involved in building what she called the “new national project” and an “emerging new republic”.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate also praised the U.S. for its capture of Maduro in January and said the U.S. had opened “the floodgate to freedom.” She said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had set out a sequence of events aimed at moving toward a democratic transition, saying that it made clear presidential elections would be held in 2027.
U.S-backed talks between the Venezuelan government and part of the opposition have been under way since August. While Machado reiterated she is not part of these, she told journalists at the news conference she was “very interested in their success, as well as the achieving of key objectives”. These include reforming what are seen as government-aligned institutions, such as the Supreme Court and National Electoral Council, as well as setting a date for the elections.
She also stressed the importance of political participation by all Venezuelans, saying she would soon release more details of “assemblies” where people could gather to debate and decide on issues including justice, education, health and the relationship between the state and citizens.
As part of the transition to a fully democratic country, Machado said Venezuela could become a center for investment. But she was critical of a multibillion-dollar oil deal between the U.S. and the Venezuelan government, questioning its transparency, saying that she, like other Venezuelans, had not seen the contract. She also raised concerns about those involved in the deal and investigations into alleged serious crimes.
Interim President Rodríguez also gave a speech on Thursday, which came just minutes before Machado was due to give hers. She said elections would be held but did not set a date for a vote.
Rodríguez, who was Nicolas Maduro’s vice-president, said elections would be overseen by “a renewed electoral authority” and governed by the guidelines established in the Constitution.
Responding to a question about Rodríguez’s speech, Machado said the fact that she had mentioned elections meant Machado’s own arrival in the country was being felt.
“Venezuela will be free forever,” she said, to loud applause from supporters in the auditorium as she ended her news conference.
Machado has not announced further public events, but it is believed she will go on a national tour to meet with citizens across the country in the coming days and weeks.
Featured image description: María Corina Machado addressed reporters on Thursday, October 29.
Featured image credit: @VenteVenezuela via X
