Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she returned to the country from exile this past week to mobilize society as she pushes for new elections next year.
“I have returned to finish a task and to fulfill a mandate,” she said Thursday in her first news conference since her return.
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate thanked the US government for leading a democratic transition process in the South American country, saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio has outlined a sequence of events that includes holding presidential elections in 2027.
“This addresses a national urgency with a sense of responsibility. It has also made clear — based on what has transpired in recent days — that the democratic transition is irreversible,” she said.
Neither the United States nor the Venezuelan government have set a date for new elections.
Rubio said on Monday that Venezuela’s electoral infrastructure needs to be changed in order to hold a valid election.
A senior State Department official said they expect Venezuela to have a new Supreme Tribunal of Justice in place by the end of year and a new National Electoral Council (CNE) shortly thereafter.
Once those institutions are replaced, Venezuela’s acting leader will have to declare a permanent vacancy in the presidency, which will trigger a six-month period for new elections, the State Department official said. The CNE will then determine a date of that election.
Machado returned on Sunday to crowds of cheering supporters, whom she said all demanded a free Venezuela. “I heard only one word, the same one: freedom,” she said Thursday.
Machado left in December for Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, which she was awarded for promoting democratic rights in her country.
A month after she left, the United States toppled and captured her rival, strongman leader Nicolas Maduro , in a military operation on January 3.
“Thanks to the actions of the United States government, Maduro is facing justice, and the floodgates of freedom have been opened,” Machado said Thursday.
Within days of Maduro’s ouster, Washington began working with his successor, acting President Delcy Rodríguez , to enact political reforms and steer the nation toward a democratic transition.
Rodriguez has so far met just about every demand from the US, including releasing hundreds of political prisoners, allowing some exiles to return home and making it easier for US companies to invest in the country.
The US has also brokered reconciliation talks between the acting government and several high-profile opposition figures such as Dinorah Figuera.
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Machado reiterated on Thursday that she is not part of those talks but said she hopes they succeed.
Shortly before Machado’s speech, Rodríguez also addressed the nation.
She did not directly acknowledge Machado’s return, but addressed her detractors in the recorded message, saying: “To those who think differently from me, I do not ask you to change your opinion. I ask you to judge by the facts. Less fighting, more solutions.”
Regarding the electoral calendar in the South American country — an open question since Maduro’s capture — Rodríguez reiterated that “there will be elections, as mandated by our Constitution.”
“The election should not be a problem or make us go back to times of confrontation that no one wants anymore,” she urged.
She also announced the continuation of reforms, including a promise that no one would be detained without judicial warrants, a long held demand from human rights groups.
Rodríguez also revealed that the government is assessing whether non-essential assets currently held by the government will be offered to the private sector, or to former owners. The acting president said the process is “already well underway. Private property is a protected right guaranteed by our Constitution.”
Machado welcomed Rodríguez’s comments, saying her commitment to new elections means the government is feeling the impact of her return.
Asked if there are plans to meet with the acting president, Machado said, “No, I have not received any message from the United States or from Ms. Rodríguez.”
Washington has so far sidelined Machado from the political transition process despite having a friendly relationship with the opposition leader.
In January, Machado gifted US President Donald Trump her Nobel Prize, hoping the gesture would nudge him toward supporting her fight to become Venezuela’s next leader.
Trump accepted the gift without endorsing her. He had previously called her a “very nice woman” but claimed she “does not have the support or the respect within the country” to lead it.
Still, Machado has continued to back the Trump administration while simultaneously condemning the acting Venezuelan government that it’s been working with, which she considers a continuation of the repressive Maduro regime .
During her 10 months in exile, Machado repeatedly vowed to return home and hinted that she would run for president if an election were held.
She had attempted to re-enter Venezuela several times over the past few months without success, saying she was impeded by the acting government.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday the US had spoken with the interim Venezuelan authorities about Machado’s return and claimed that any “impediments” to her arrival “had nothing to do with us.”
Machado didn’t provide details about how she returned, but said she received help from many people both inside and outside the country, including what she described as an “exceptionally well-qualified” team.
Machado added that she had learned from her previous failed attempts to enter the country and did things differently. “And let me tell you: They didn’t see it coming,” she said of the acting government.
CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Anabella González and Sol Amaya contributed reporting.
