Venezuela's opposition reaffirms Machado as leader and demands free elections
The Unitary Democratic Platform unveiled a 14-point 'great national agreement' for a democratic transition, as interim President Delcy Rodríguez's government holds separate talks without Machado.
At a glance
- Venezuela's main opposition alliance, the Unitary Democratic Platform (PUD), met in Caracas on October 18 and ratified María Corina Machado as leader of the democratic transition, alongside Edmundo González.
- Its 14-point 'great national agreement' calls for free elections, freedom for political parties, the release of all political prisoners and a safe return for exiles.
- The plan would ban indefinite re-election and rejects any violent or irregular route to power.
- Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been abroad since December 2025. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has led Venezuela since January 3; no election date has been set.
Venezuela's main opposition alliance has closed ranks behind María Corina Machado, ratifying her as the leader of the country's democratic transition and setting out a 14-point plan built around free elections, nine months after the fall of Nicolás Maduro.
What the opposition decided
Members of the Unitary Democratic Platform (PUD), the coalition of Venezuela's main opposition parties, met in Caracas on Sunday, October 18. They agreed to "recognise and support the leadership" of Machado, the exiled winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, alongside Edmundo González, the opposition's candidate in the 2024 presidential election.
The coalition presented a document it calls a "great national agreement". Its 14 points include:
- Free elections — after the disputed presidential votes of 2018 and 2024 — and defence of the vote.
- Freedom for political parties to operate, with their legal rights restored.
- The release of all political prisoners and a safe return for Venezuelans in exile.
- No indefinite re-election: alternation in power as an essential principle, described as a guarantee of political renewal and limits on power.
- Rebuilding state institutions and restoring constitutional order so that public bodies work legitimately.
- Rejection of violence: the coalition rejects any violent, subversive or irregular action against the democratic process or national security.
"Without unity we would be condemned to failure," opposition politician Roberto Henríquez said at the presentation. González backed the proposals on social media, writing that "the will of the Venezuelans must once again govern the destiny of our nation."
Who runs Venezuela now
Since January 3, 2026, Venezuela has been led by interim President Delcy Rodríguez of the ruling PSUV party, who was Maduro's vice president. She took over after a US military operation seized Maduro, who has since been jailed.
US President Donald Trump has backed Rodríguez and supports a three-phase plan that puts stabilisation and economic recovery ahead of a political transition. Washington has influence over Venezuela's oil sector and has pushed for reforms, but critics say it has been reluctant to press for an election date. PSUV leaders have been accused by rights groups of abuses against dissidents, including arbitrary arrests and torture.
Machado still abroad
Machado has been outside Venezuela since December 2025, when she travelled to receive her Nobel Prize. Her party, Vente Venezuela, says the authorities have repeatedly blocked her attempts to return, and she has reportedly asked the Trump administration for help to go home. In January she gave Trump her Nobel medal during a visit to Washington, but relations have since been strained: US officials have described her push to return, especially after deadly earthquakes in Venezuela in July, as badly timed.
Machado has said she wants a presidential election by July 2027. Her party and another group, La Causa R, have proposed July 24, 2027 as the date.
How Machado became the opposition's leader
- October 2023: Machado won the opposition's presidential primary by a landslide.
- January 2024: Venezuela's courts upheld a 15-year ban on her holding public office, so González ran in her place.
- July 2024: Maduro claimed victory, but opposition tallies suggested González had won; the United States recognised González as president-elect.
- January 2026: Maduro was removed in a US operation and Rodríguez became interim president.
Talks without Machado
A third round of talks between the Rodríguez government and the opposition began this month. Machado is not part of them; instead they involve members of the 2015 National Assembly, which the opposition controlled before Maduro sidelined it. The US State Department has praised the talks for producing "tangible" reforms in civil liberties and political rights.
What happens next
The opposition wants its 14-point agreement to become the basis for negotiations on an election date and conditions. Key questions now are whether Machado will be allowed to return, whether she will be brought into the talks, and whether the interim government — and Washington — will commit to a date for a presidential vote.
Questions people are asking
Who leads Venezuela now?
Delcy Rodríguez, formerly Nicolás Maduro's vice president, has been interim president since January 3, 2026, after a US military operation removed Maduro, who has since been jailed.
When will Venezuela hold elections?
No date has been set. The opposition is demanding free elections; Machado's party has proposed July 24, 2027 for a presidential vote.
Why is María Corina Machado not in Venezuela?
She left in December 2025 to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Her party says the authorities have repeatedly blocked her attempts to return.
