Venezuela’s opposition party Vente Venezuela called for protests in all 23 states on Oct. 22, seeking a presidential election timetable and María Corina Machado’s return as political transition talks continue.
The party also wants the release of people it calls political prisoners. It is seeking a date in 2027 for the next presidential vote, but has not named a specific day in its account of the protest plans.
Vente Venezuela youth leader Carlos Fernández announced the demonstrations at a Caracas news conference Monday. The party called for broad participation and said the mobilization would be peaceful.
Machado, the party’s leader and the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was barred from the 2024 presidential election by an administrative disqualification imposed in 2023. Vente Venezuela has also raised electoral rights, though its stated demands for the Oct. 22 protests center on Machado’s return, an election timetable and detainees’ release.
The party said continued detention has harmed prisoners and their families. It accused the government of repression and failing to provide basic services.
Government and opposition representatives are engaged in political transition talks. Vente Venezuela says a presidential election is its main demand as it awaits the outcome of the talks. Separately, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control removed Jorge Rodríguez from its sanctions list Oct. 14. Anadolu Agency identified Rodríguez as the government’s chief negotiator.
The party’s next announced step is the Oct. 22 mobilization, including a gathering at Plaza Venezuela in Caracas at 4 p.m. ET (20:00 UTC).
