Opposition caravans press for a presidential election schedule
Hundreds of Venezuelans joined caravans and gatherings in several states on Sunday to call for presidential elections, a defined electoral timetable and the return of María Corina Machado to the country. The mobilization was organized by the Comando con Venezuela under the banner of a national grand ride, with participants using motorcycles, cars, bicycles and also traveling on foot. The call had been announced on Saturday and began around 10 a.m. Venezuelan time.[S1]
The demonstrations took place in states including Bolívar, Barinas, Apure, Mérida, Zulia, Lara, Falcón, Guárico, Carabobo and Miranda, among others. The event came just three days after Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, told the United Nations General Assembly that elections would be held and that all political forces could take part on equal terms. Rodríguez did not specify a date for the vote, making the electoral calendar a central opposition demand during Sunday's caravans.[S1]
International pressure and Machado's blocked return
The election issue also featured on the international agenda this week. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday that he discussed Venezuelan elections during his meeting with Rodríguez in New York. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously said Washington raised the need to move toward free elections and a political transition. Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, remains outside Venezuela; the Norwegian Nobel Committee honored her for her work defending democratic rights and promoting a peaceful transition in the country.[S1]
Her team reported this week that she tried to return from Panama three times and was unable to enter. From the ruling party, National Assembly President and government negotiator Jorge Rodríguez denied that Venezuelan authorities are preventing her return. The electoral situation remains unresolved: Rodríguez's government maintains that new elections will be held, but no presidential date has been announced. The opposition now seeks to sustain pressure so that commitment becomes a formal calendar and Machado can return.[S1]
Detention reported during the Zulia caravan
The day also brought a complaint from Vente Venezuela in Zulia state. The party's human rights committee said that Fernando Torrealba, a member of the organization, was detained during the morning while taking part in the caravan in Maracaibo. According to the opposition group, Torrealba was in the Prolongación Delicias area when he was detained by Bolivarian National Guard troops. Vente Venezuela later said it did not know his whereabouts and asked for information about his situation.[S1]
