Maria Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, announced on May 28 she is determined to negotiate with interim president Delcy Rodriguez on Venezuela's democratic transition [1, 2, 3]. Machado made the statement from Panama on May 29, emphasizing the goal to hold a "free, transparent, and sovereign presidential election" [1, 2, 4].
Machado and opposition factions claim their candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the contested 2024 presidential election, although incumbent Nicolas Maduro was declared winner [1, 2, 3]. Maduro was captured in a US military raid in January 2026 and taken to New York for trial. Since then, Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez has been serving as interim president [1, 2, 4, 3].
Gonzalez Urrutia, aged 76, called for new elections on May 30 and reaffirmed the opposition's unity in pursuing democracy [3]. He said Machado and Venezuelan democratic forces recently gathered in Panama for the shared goal of Venezuela's freedom: "We are united, moving on the same path toward the same goal" [3].
Machado has repeatedly sought US support to promote responsible political negotiations with the interim regime to restore democracy [1, 2, 4, 3]. She publicly received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in December 2025 and has spent 2026 meeting international leaders to rally support [1, 2].
The Venezuelan government labels Machado a fugitive and accuses her of calling for foreign military intervention; she remains exiled [1, 2]. Machado has declared she will run as a candidate in a future, yet unscheduled election [1, 2].
The opposition insists on a new vote to resolve the political crisis following Maduro’s ouster and Rodriguez’s interim rule. The coming months will be closely watched for progress in the scheduled democratic transition process.
