venezuelans

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

US President Donald Trump and acting President Delcy Rodriguez have said there would be elections, but no date has been set for a vote to decide on a successor for Nicolas Maduro, after the former Venezuelan president was captured by US forces in a military raid in January.

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.

Her Vente Venezuela movement organised the protest, which took place in the capital Caracas and other cities, including Valencia, Maracay, San Cristobal and Maracaibo.

“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. “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, Maria Corina.”

“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, the country has been led by interim President Delcy Rodriguez of the long-governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

PSUV leaders have been accused of carrying out human rights abuses against political dissidents, including arbitrary arrest, imprisonment and torture.

After the United States launched a military operation to abduct and jail former President Nicolas Maduro, the PSUV remained in power with the support of the White House.

US President Trump has backed Rodriguez’s leadership, despite her having been Maduro’s vice president.

His administration has maintained an active role in Venezuela, exerting control over its oil resources and pressuring the Rodriguez government for reforms.

Minimal security presence

Venezuela’s socialist movement, in power since 1999 under late President Hugo Chavez and then Maduro, has in the past deployed security forces against protesters, but government forces had minimal presence at protest sites on Thursday, and in many smaller cities demonstrators dispersed before dark.

The ruling Socialist Party called for its supporters to march from Caracas’ Plaza Venezuela, the same place the opposition planned to gather two hours later, to a location near the presidential palace to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

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.

US-backed talks continue

Talks between a faction of the opposition and the interim government, aimed at remaking the top court and the electoral council ahead of eventual elections, held their latest session this month, but changes could take significant time.

The negotiations, backed by the US, do not include Machado’s political movement, though she has said she will not stand in the way of their progress.

Machado’s proxy Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia claims to have won the 2024 election according to vote tallies by the opposition. But the government, which never released full counts, backed Maduro, as did the country’s legal and electoral institutions.

Machado has for years sought US support, aligning with hawks in the Trump team who argued that Maduro, through alleged links to drug gangs, represented a direct threat to US national security. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are facing drug and torture charges in the US. They have pleaded not guilty.

Mérida, October 20, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela held its second National Popular Consultation of the year on Sunday, October 18, as voters chose local projects to receive state funding.

Organized by communes and communal circuits within the Ministry for Communes and supported by the National Electoral Council (CNE), the vote took place at over 11,400 voting centers nationwide.

More than 37,000 proposals, debated and prioritized in local assemblies under the Seven Transformations (7T) framework, were put to a vote in 5,418 communes and communal circuits. Most options focused on infrastructure and basic service repairs, including addressing water supply and electricity issues.

In this event, and for the first time, over 400 condominium boards took part as well. Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced the expansion of the electoral exercise to residential instances outside the traditional popular power organizations.

“I want to congratulate all the Venezuelan citizens who have participated in this consultation, because it reflects a genuine belief in a democracy that is growing stronger,” Rodríguez said on state broadcaster VTV on Sunday night. “The funds for these projects are now ready to be allocated for their execution.”

Each winning initiative is slated to receive the equivalent of US $10,000, with local organized communities charged with executing the works and rendering accounts. This was the sixth consultation held since President Nicolás Maduro launched them in 2024.

Two days before the vote, Minister of Communes Ángel Prado, during a meeting with communes in Lara State, explained that the resources would be transferred in stages: an initial disbursement to begin project execution, followed by subsequent disbursements contingent upon the progress of the work. This includes monitoring the projects and ensuring accountability to the communities.

Communities voted on a range of initiatives tailored to local needs. The selected projects included extending the electrical grid, equipping school canteens, expanding irrigation and sewage systems, replacing gas cylinders, maintaining public roads, and developing livestock-related initiatives.

In Cojedes State, the winning project in Los Vencedores Hijos de Chávez Communal Circuit was the extension of the high- and low-voltage electricity network. Meanwhile, in the 5 de Marzo Comandante Eterno Commune in Caracas, the winning project focused on rehabilitating walkways and stairs in a section of the area.

Alongside the popular consultation, activists in Simón Planas, Lara State, also set up a signature drive to oppose mining exploitation in the local Cerro La Vieja. Local organizer José Luis Sifontes told Venezuelanalysis that more than 6,000 people signed the document calling on the government to declare Cerro La Vieja a natural park.

Grassroots resistance has stopped previous efforts to drill for limestone in the area, with communal organizations denouncing that mining will contaminate the soil and water sources.

Edited by Ricardo Vaz in Caracas.