Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets on Thursday (October 22, 2026) in the first nationwide opposition protest in nearly two years, as demonstrators demanded free elections and other political changes with a notably thin presence of security forces.
Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who has been outside the country for nearly a year after living in hiding following a contested 2024 election, has said elections must take place by July 2027. Venezuela’s socialist movement, in power since 1999 under late President Hugo Chavez and then Mr. Maduro, has in the past deployed security forces against protesters decrying political repression, dizzying inflation, poor public services and other problems in the economically battered country, including after the 2024 presidential election.
Because of the dollar, and difficulties studying, “I’ve been through so many hardships, so many problems. The United States has been working closely with the interim government led by acting President Delcy Rodriguez since U.S. forces captured President Nicolas Maduro in January. Both U.S. President Donald Trump and Ms. Rodriguez, Mr. I have high hopes for my country and for our next leader, president, Maria Corina. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, known for his close ties to the security services, was pictured on state television attending the march, while the opposition supporters moved their protest to a nearby location.
Maduro’s former deputy, have said there will be elections, but have not set a date either for a legislative vote or a national contest for president. “Seeing this makes me happy because I know change is possible,” said 18-year-old cosmetology student Leosmary Hernandez, as she gathered with hundreds of others in northern Maracay.
Ms. Maduro, as did the country’s legal and electoral institutions. Machado’s proxy roundly won the 2024 election according to vote tallies released by the opposition. But the government, which never released full counts, backed Mr. Legal rights group Foro Penal, which represents opposition figures and others who have been detained, often on charges like treason, says there are still more than 320 political prisoners in Venezuela, despite releases that took place under an amnesty law backed by the legislature earlier this year.
The government has repeatedly denied holding political prisoners and says the amnesty is generous.
