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Venezuelans rally to demand opposition leader’s safe return and presidential elections
On Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, supporters of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado rallied across Venezuela to demand her safe return and presidential elections. Hundreds of activists in sky blue shirts drove through Caracas, honking horns and waving flags.
Exiled for nine months, Machado remains a Nobel Peace Prize laureate after leaving Venezuela last year. Although a U.S. military operation removed President Nicolás Maduro in January, she has been unable to return home since then.
Her party reported that Machado made three unsuccessful return attempts on Monday night, facing a canceled boat charter and denied landing permits for a flight to Curacao. In total, she has made seven unsuccessful attempts this year.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated earlier this month that Machado has "every right to enter her country whenever she wants to return." Venezuelan authorities deny accusations they are blocking her return, though U.S. officials have cited safety concerns.
Anthony Romero, a leader for Vente Venezuela, expressed hope that the transition process leads to presidential elections, stating this would consolidate a democratic country that remains a "main ally of the United States.
He left the country in 2025, after being held at the Argentine Embassy in Caracas. Machado, meanwhile, has tried to return seven times. The post Claudia Macero, press chief of María Corina Machado, returned to Venezuela appeared first on La Silla Vacia.