María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace Prize winner 2025, demanded this Monday that a specific electoral calendar be established to hold presidential elections in Venezuela within the next year, in an opinion piece published in the New York Post on Sunday and distributed in Spanish by her party Vente Venezuela.
The opposition leader stated that setting a date is the immediate and unavoidable step to consolidate the political process initiated after the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026.
"The next strategic step is to set a date for the presidential elections within the next year, along with a roadmap for the necessary reforms to ensure that they are free and fair," wrote Machado.
The opposition leader argued that a defined schedule would provide Venezuelans with a framework to organize and participate, and she dismissed the argument that calling for elections could lead to instability: in her view, it would have exactly the opposite effect.
"The Venezuelans need to know when," he stated, reminding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reiterated that Venezuela must hold free elections.
Machado also announced that he considers it urgent to return to the country to strengthen civic organization and promote an agreement between civilians and the military.
"I must be there," he noted, indicating that he will travel across Venezuela to prepare the country for institutional and economic reconstruction.
The leader warned that chavismo maintains a significant amount of power despite Maduro's capture.
"That regime still holds a lot of power. If the pressure decreases while it maintains de facto control, it will revert to its old methods," he wrote.
In economic terms, Machado projected that Venezuela could produce more than five million barrels of oil per day with estimated investments of around 200 billion dollars, but he conditioned that outlook on the existence of legal security, respect for contracts, and the rule of law.
"Venezuela will respect contracts, protect private property, and build a lasting strategic alliance with the United States," he promised.
The article arrives at a time of increasing pressure on the government of Delcy Rodríguez, who promised before the UN that "there will be elections in Venezuela," but without setting a date or timeline, stating that the elections will take place "when Venezuela is ready."
Rodríguez's approval has plummeted: according to data from AtlasIntel gathered by Bloomberg, only 24.6% of Venezuelans support his administration, compared to 60.5% who disapprove.
Machado's return to Venezuela remains blocked. Recently, her team reported that she attempted to return from Panama at least three times but was prevented from doing so, with flights unable to land in Bonaire, Aruba, and Curacao. Chavismo, through its chief negotiator Jorge Rodríguez, denied responsibility for the blockade.
Machado referenced the election on July 28, 2024, in which the opposition supported the candidacy of Edmundo González Urrutia following their own disqualification, and claimed victory amidst allegations of massive fraud.
The proposal to set July 24, 2027 —the birth date of Simón Bolívar— as the election date, promoted by Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, has the public backing of Machado, who sees this timeline as the path to transform Maduro's capture into a lasting strategic victory.
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