Former justice Blanca Rosa Mármol launches a presidential bid, challenging María Corina Machado

Former justice Blanca Rosa Mármol de León formally launched her presidential candidacy on September 9 and called for street protests to demand free elections and the release of political prisoners, El Nacional reported. In an interview, she said she isn't rivaling Machado for power, though she once backed her.

Mármol said she proposed a governing junta to the U.S. embassy and requested a meeting twice with no response. Given that lack of support from Washington, she argued the opposition must exercise sovereignty on its own and again called for people to take to the streets.

«If we exercise sovereignty, if it is our constitutional right, and if we haven't achieved it that way, well, we have to do it ourselves, directly.»— Blanca Rosa Mármol, September 10, 2026 · watch