Venezuelan opposition supporters took to streets in several cities Thursday, Oct. 22, to demand free elections, as a U.S.-backed political process continues without a date for national voting.
Acting President Delcy Rodriguez and U.S. President Donald Trump have each said Venezuela will hold elections, but neither has announced a date for a presidential or legislative vote, Reuters reported. Trump also said last month it was too soon to consider elections, Reuters reported.
Vente Venezuela, the movement of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, organized demonstrations in Caracas and the cities of Valencia, Maracay, San Cristobal and Maracaibo, Reuters reported. The rallies marked the first nationwide opposition protest in almost two years. Security forces had only a limited presence at the sites.
The governing Socialist Party held its own march earlier from Plaza Venezuela toward an area near the presidential palace. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello appeared at the event on state television, Reuters reported. The opposition moved its gathering to a nearby location.
In Valencia, clothing store owner Maria Debora Marin, 57, urged officials to name a date. “We want an electoral timetable to be announced now,” she said, Reuters reported, adding that people should not have to wait until 2028.
Separately, negotiators backed by Washington have discussed restructuring the Supreme Court and electoral council, Reuters reported, with the stated aim of making future elections fairer. The government and one opposition faction held their latest meeting this month. Machado’s movement is not taking part, although she has said she would not obstruct the talks. Machado has called for elections by July 2027 and has been outside Venezuela for nearly a year.
The dispute follows the contested 2024 presidential election. The opposition’s tallies credited Machado’s proxy with a decisive win, Reuters reported. The government backed Maduro and never released full vote counts.
Demonstrators also called for the release of people they consider political prisoners. Foro Penal, a legal rights group, says more than 320 people remain imprisoned for political reasons, despite releases under an amnesty the legislature backed earlier this year. The government rejects the claim that it holds political prisoners and describes the amnesty as generous.
