CARACAS: Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets on Thursday in the first nationwide opposition protest in nearly two years, as demonstrators demanded free elections and other political changes with a notably thin presence of security forces.
The US has been working closely with the interim government led by acting president Delcy Rodriguez since US forces captured president Nicolas Maduro in January.
Both US president Donald Trump and Rodriguez, Maduro's former deputy, have said there will be elections, but have not set a date either for a legislative vote or a national contest for president.
Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who has been outside the country for nearly a year after living in hiding following a contested 2024 election, has said elections must take place by July 2027.
Her Vente Venezuela movement organised the protest, which took place in the capital Caracas and other cities, including Valencia, Maracay, San Cristobal and Maracaibo.
“Seeing this makes me happy because I know change is possible," said 18-year-old cosmetology student Leosmary Hernandez, as she gathered with hundreds of others in northern Maracay.
"I’ve been through so many hardships, so many problems because of the dollar, and difficulties studying. I have high hopes for my country and for our next leader, president, Maria Corina," she said.
"I went out to protest before, when things were much tougher, and I’m even less afraid today because I want my voice to be heard,” she added as music boomed around protesters waving Venezuelan flags.
Venezuela's socialist movement, in power since 1999 under late president Hugo Chavez and then Maduro, has in the past deployed security forces against protesters decrying political repression, dizzying inflation, poor public services and other problems in the economically battered country, including after the 2024 presidential election.
Security forces had minimal presence at protest sites on Thursday, and in many smaller cities demonstrators dispersed before dark.
The ruling Socialist Party called for its supporters to march from Caracas' Plaza Venezuela, the same place the opposition planned to gather two hours later, to a location near the presidential palace to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Interior minister Diosdado Cabello, known for his close ties to the security services, was pictured on state television attending the march, while the opposition supporters moved their protest to a nearby location.
Negotiations continue
US-backed talks between a faction of the opposition and the interim government, aimed at remaking the top court and the electoral council with an eye toward ensuring fairness at eventual elections, held their latest session this month, but changes could take significant time.
The negotiations do not include Machado's political movement, though she has said she will not stand in the way of their progress.
Machado's proxy roundly won the 2024 election according to vote tallies released by the opposition.
However, the government, which never released full counts, backed Maduro, as did the country's legal and electoral institutions.
"We want presidential elections now. We want an electoral timetable to be announced now. We are not going to wait until 2028," said Maria Debora Marin, 57, who runs a clothing store in central Valencia, referring to rumors that elections may only take place the year after next. "What we want is to move forward and finally get out of this nightmare," she said.
Amid the arrests of some of her closest collaborators, Machado went into hiding.
Her last public appearance in Venezuela was at protests to mark Maduro's third inauguration in January 2025, where she was briefly detained.
Machado has for years sought US support, aligning with hawks in the Trump team who argued that Maduro — through links to drug gangs — represented a direct threat to US national security.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are facing drug and torture charges in the US. They have pleaded not guilty.
However, Trump has repeatedly praised Rodriguez's management and her willingness to welcome US investors, saying last month it is too soon to consider elections.
Machado's desire to return home, especially after devastating twin earthquakes in June, has caused friction in Washington, with US officials asking her to delay her trip, Reuters has reported.
"We're in limbo," said recent graduate Rayeska Puesme, 18, as she attended the protest in Caracas, adding she had considered leaving because of a lack of opportunities.
"The US removed one big problem, which was Maduro, but the rest are still there," she said.
"I feel in my heart that things are going to change, but I don't see when," she added.
Demonstrators were also calling for the release of prisoners they say are held for political reasons.
Legal rights group Foro Penal, which represents opposition figures and others who have been detained, often on charges like treason, says there are still more than 320 political prisoners in Venezuela, despite releases that took place under an amnesty law backed by the legislature earlier this year.
The government has repeatedly denied holding political prisoners and says the amnesty is generous.