María Corina Machado insists there must be elections as she speaks of her return to Venezuela

María Corina Machado said 'there have to be elections here' when addressing her eventual return to Venezuela, according to El Nacional. Opposition commentator David Placeres noted that Machado still cannot enter the country more than eight months after Nicolás Maduro's capture, after two frustrated attempts, and that her team turned down a proposed meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Placeres said it was worth examining what has happened in the relationship between Machado and the Trump administration following the oil agreements Trump announced. State broadcaster VTV, for its part, did not mention Machado in its broadcasts those days.

«There have to be elections here.»— María Corina Machado (quoted by El Nacional), September 13, 2026 · watch

«Does María Corina Machado want to meet with Donald Trump, or failing that, with Marco Rubio, who are the ones running Venezuela policy?»— David Placeres, September 12, 2026 · watch