Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado took to the country’s streets on Sunday to demand her safe return and presidential elections that could lead to a democratic transition in Venezuela. The government has been widely accused of stealing elections, jailing dissidents and stifling freedom of speech.
But her stand-in candidate is widely believed to have won the election with almost two thirds of the vote. Maria Machado’s party said this week that on Monday night, the opposition leader made three unsuccessful attempts to return. In Caracas, hundreds of activists in sky blue shirts — the color of Maria Machado’s Vente Venezuela party — rode motorcycles and drove through the city’s main avenues, honking their horns and waving Venezuelan flags. Similar demonstrations were held in state capitals including Valencia, Maracaibo and Merida. Maria Machado has been living in exile for the past nine months, and has had her plans to return to Venezuela spoiled multiple times. Opposition activists have accused Venezuela’s government of blocking her return, a claim denied by Venezuelan authorities. Maria Machado, one of Venezuela’s most popular political leaders, was barred from running in Venezuela’s last presidential election by courts under the control of former President Nicolas Maduro. Nicolas Maduro claimed victory nevertheless, and unleashed a violent crackdown against dissidents who protested the official results, forcing Maria Machado and dozens of opposition leaders to go into hiding. A US military operation removed Nicolas Maduro in January. The government is now led by Delcy Rodriguez, an ally of the former president who has opened Venezuela’s oil industry to foreign investment and is now working closely with the Trump administration.
Last year, Maria Machado smuggled herself out of Venezuela after she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to restore democracy in the South American country. But Maria Machado has been unable to return to Venezuela since then.
