Thousands in Venezuela Rally for Elections in First Nationwide Opposition Protest in Nearly Two Years

Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets in several cities to demand free elections, in the first nationwide protest by the opposition in nearly two years, Al Jazeera reported. The demonstrations took place on October 22, 2026, in Caracas, Valencia, Maracay, San Cristobal and Maracaibo.

The protest was organised by Vente Venezuela, the movement of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Reuters reported that the ruling Socialist Party had called on its supporters to march from Plaza Venezuela in Caracas, the same square where the opposition planned to gather. Al Jazeera reported that government security forces had a minimal presence at the opposition protest sites.

The demonstrations come against the background of a major change in the country's leadership. US forces captured former President Nicolas Maduro in a military raid in January 2026. Since January 3, Venezuela has been led by interim President Delcy Rodriguez of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, known as the PSUV. Rodriguez had served as Maduro's vice president before taking over. An interim president is a leader who holds office temporarily, usually until a permanent successor is chosen.

No date has been set for a vote to choose that successor. US President Donald Trump and Rodriguez have both said elections would be held in Venezuela, according to Al Jazeera. Machado has said elections must take place by July 2027.

Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been outside Venezuela for nearly a year, after living in hiding following the disputed 2024 presidential election. Her supporters have also held street rallies calling for her safe return, the Associated Press reported in September.

Earlier this autumn, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources, that the promised elections could be delayed for a year or more because of planned overhauls of the courts and electoral authorities. In late September, Reuters also reported that Rodriguez had returned from a visit to the United States with no deals and no firm election date.

The October protest was the first of its kind in nearly two years, and the timing of any vote remains unsettled. Venezuelan authorities have not yet set a date, and the opposition's July 2027 deadline sits alongside the government's stated commitment to hold elections, with no agreed schedule between them.