Venezuelans demand elections in first nationwide protest in nearly two years.

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1051 EAT on Friday 23 October 2026

Thousands of Venezuelans have taken to the streets in several cities to demand free elections and political reforms in the first nationwide opposition protest in nearly two years.

US President Donald Trump and Venezuela’s acting President, Delcy Rodríguez, have both said elections will be held, but no date has been announced for a vote to choose a successor to former president Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by US forces in a military raid in January.

Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who has been outside Venezuela for nearly a year after living in hiding following the disputed 2024 election, has said elections must be held by July 2027.

Her Vente Venezuela movement organised the protests, which were held in the capital, Caracas, and other cities, including Valencia, Maracay, San Cristóbal and Maracaibo.

“Seeing this makes me happy because I know change is possible,” said 18-year-old cosmetology student Leosmary Hernández, who joined hundreds of other protesters in northern Maracay.

“I’ve been through so many hardships, so many problems because of the dollar, and difficulties studying. I have high hopes for my country and for our next leader and president, María Corina,” she said.

“I went out to protest before, when things were much tougher, and I’m even less afraid today because I want my voice to be heard,” she added.

Since January 3, Venezuela has been led by interim President Delcy Rodríguez of the long-ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

Leaders of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) have been accused of human rights abuses against political dissidents, including arbitrary arrests, imprisonment and torture.

Following a US military operation to capture and detain former President Nicolás Maduro, the PSUV remained in power with backing from the White House.

US President Donald Trump has supported Delcy Rodríguez’s leadership, despite her having served as Maduro’s vice president.

His administration has continued to play an active role in Venezuela, seeking control over the country’s oil resources and pressing the Rodríguez government to implement reforms.

Venezuela’s socialist movement, which has been in power since 1999 under the late President Hugo Chávez and later Nicolás Maduro, has previously deployed security forces against protesters. However, government forces had a limited presence at protest sites on Thursday, while demonstrators in many smaller cities dispersed before nightfall.

The ruling Socialist Party called on its supporters to march from Plaza Venezuela in Caracas — the same location where the opposition planned to gather two hours later — to a site near the presidential palace to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who has close ties to the security services, was shown attending the march on state television, while opposition supporters moved their demonstration to a nearby location.

US-backed talks continue

Talks between a faction of the opposition and the interim government aimed at reforming the Supreme Court and the electoral council ahead of eventual elections held their latest session this month. However, the proposed changes could take considerable time to implement.

The negotiations, which are backed by the United States, exclude Machado’s political movement, although she has said she will not obstruct their progress.

Machado’s proxy, Edmundo González Urrutia, claims to have won the 2024 election, citing vote tallies compiled by the opposition. However, the government backed Maduro without releasing the full vote count, a position also supported by the country’s legal and electoral institutions.

For years, Machado has sought US support, aligning herself with hardliners in the Trump administration who argued that Maduro’s alleged links to drug gangs posed a direct threat to US national security.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face drug-related and torture charges in the United States. Both have pleaded not guilty.