María Corina Machado's Party Calls for Nationwide Mobilization in Venezuela to Demand Elections

The Venezuelan political party Vente Venezuela has announced a nationwide mobilization scheduled for this Thursday in Caracas and across all cities in the country. The demonstration is centered around three key demands: the establishment of an electoral timeline ensuring presidential elections by 2027, the safe return of their leader María Corina Machado, and the release of political prisoners.

Political activist Carlos Fernández unveiled the call to action during a press conference, highlighting the significance of the event: "This will be the spearhead for a peaceful mobilization. It is set to be a historic march for us."

Fernández emphasized the electoral goal: "By 2027, we must hold a presidential election. We are organizing to elect María Corina Machado as the next president of Venezuela."

The proposed election date is July 24, 2027, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Simón Bolívar, a date publicly endorsed by Machado in early October. Meanwhile, Delcy Rodríguez's government has assured the United Nations that elections will occur but has yet to provide a specific date or a verifiable timeline.

The planned march on Thursday aligns with the third anniversary of the 2023 opposition primaries, where Machado emerged victorious with substantial popular support. The slogan of the call reflects Vente Venezuela's stance: "The election date is the liberation date."

Another demand is the return of Machado, who clandestinely left Venezuela in December 2025 to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo—an award she received that year—and has since been unable to return to the country despite at least seven attempts, according to her communications team.

Fernández emphasized the necessity of Machado's return to "accelerate the transition" towards a potential presidential election.

The third demand focuses on the 322 political prisoners reported by the NGO Foro Penal. The chavista regime denies that these individuals are politically detained, claiming they have committed crimes, a position rejected by the opposition and numerous human rights organizations.

This mobilization comes amidst a period of heightened political activity. On Sunday, the Democratic Unity Platform unveiled a national agreement featuring 14 proposals for a democratic transition, supporting Machado's leadership and the role of Edmundo González Urrutia, who has been in exile since 2024 after challenging then-President Nicolás Maduro in that year's presidential elections.

Concurrently, since October 14, Caracas has been hosting the third round of dialogue between the chavismo—represented by Jorge Rodríguez—and an opposition faction led by Dinorah Figuera, with backing from Washington. Machado recently claimed that the United States had excluded her from these negotiations, in which neither she nor González Urrutia are directly involved.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Figuera in Washington on October 9, urging advancements in political freedoms and electoral reform. However, the absence of the most prominent opposition figures remains a major point of contention in the ongoing process.