CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado took to the country’s streets on Sunday to demand her safe return and presidential elections that could lead to a democratic transition in Venezuela. The government has been widely accused of stealing the elections, imprison dissidents and stifling freedom of expression.
In Caracas, hundreds of activists dressed in sky blue shirts – the color of Machado’s Sale Venezuela party – rode motorcycles and crossed the city’s main avenues, honking their horns and waving Venezuelan flags. Similar protests took place in state capitals, including Valencia, Maracaibo and Mérida.
“It’s not a question of party or politics,” said Flavio Valentini, a Vente Venezuela activist in Caracas, who grabbed a megaphone and addressed the crowd. “This is a movement for the people and by the people.”
Machado has lived in exile for nine months and has seen his plans to return to Venezuela repeatedly spoiled. Opposition activists have accused the Venezuelan government of blocking his return, a claim denied by Venezuelan authorities.
Machado’s party said this week that on Monday evening the opposition leader made three unsuccessful attempts to return.
“We hope that this transition process will lead us to presidential elections and consolidate a free and democratic country that will be the main ally of the United States,” said Anthony Romero, leader of Vente Venezuela in the national capital.
Machado, one of Venezuela’s most popular political leaders, was barred from running in Venezuela’s last presidential election by courts under the control of former President Nicolás Maduro. But it is widely believed that his alternate candidate won the election. with almost two thirds of the votes.
Maduro nevertheless claims victory and triggers a violent repression against dissidents who protested the official results, forcing Machado and dozens of opposition leaders into hiding.
Last year, Machado left Venezuela clandestinely after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to restore democracy in the South American country. An American military operation Maduro was fired in January. But Machado has since been unable to return to Venezuela. The government is now led by Delcy Rodríguez, a Maduro ally who opened Venezuela’s oil industry to foreign investment and now works closely with the Trump administration.
Machado’s team said Monday that the opposition leader, now based in Panama, tried to return to Venezuela by sea, but the company that chartered his boat canceled the trip hours before leaving, saying its vessel was not seaworthy. Machado then tried to fly to Curacao, her team said, from where she could take a fast boat to Venezuela, but her plane was denied a landing permit. In total, Machado has made seven failed attempts to return to Venezuela this year, his party claims, with some critics questioning whether the Trump administration is also involved in efforts to prevent him from returning.
Trump administration officials deny holding Machado, but have said that on some occasions they advised him not to return to the country for security reasons.
Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a news conference that Machado had “every right to enter her country whenever she wishes to return.” On Wednesday, Rubio said he was unaware of Machado’s most recent efforts to return to the South American country.
Rubio said the United States would like to see thousands of Venezuelans return to their country and “reopen the businesses they lost.” The secretary of state has long argued that before holding new elections, Venezuela must stabilize its economy and rebuild its institutions, such as its courts and electoral board.
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Associated Press writer Manuel Rueda contributed from Bogota, Colombia.
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