Machado’s return revives Venezuela’s push for 2027 elections

U.S. backed Machado while working with Rodríguez on oil deals

Machado arrived in Venezuela on Sunday after nearly 11 months outside the country. Her return begins a renewed drive for free and fair presidential elections in 2027, even as the interim government has forged close ties with the Trump administration. The U.S. has supported Machado while also working closely with Delcy Rodríguez on oil deals.

Rodríguez has been running Venezuela since her former boss, Nicolás Maduro, was overthrown by U.S. forces on Jan. 3. Machado said U.S.-backed transition talks are moving too slowly. She wants free and fair elections to end Rodríguez’s rule, making her return a direct challenge to the government she has vowed to oust.

Her campaign plan calls for Machado to crisscross 23 states, visit even the smallest communities, speak with Venezuelans and reboot the nationwide movement that turned out voters en masse in 2024. In August, she told The Wall Street Journal that she hoped to revive that movement. The U.S. said Maduro had stolen the 2024 election.

A September Meganalisis poll showed that Machado would defeat Rodríguez or any other politician, gathering 61% of the vote to less than 7% for other contenders. A majority of respondents in the same poll said elections were urgent and wanted the current government voted out of power.

An economic collapse has driven more than eight million Venezuelans abroad, and people inside the country are seeking stability and economic relief. An August DatinCorp poll of 1,200 potential voters found that 51% of respondents considered inflation, low wages and unemployment the country’s most urgent problems. Asked which step should come first in a transition, 35% chose free and fair elections, just a notch above those who prioritized rebuilding the economy.

Venezuelan officials have made little secret of their hostility toward Machado. In February, as she planned her return from Washington, Rodríguez warned that she would have to “answer to Venezuela” for backing the January raid that netted Maduro. In June, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said, “We’re waiting for her.”

Although the U.S. has told Rodríguez not to move against Machado, supporters have expressed concern for her safety. Machado’s campaigning style includes wading into crowds, hugging and talking with followers, which could place her in danger. She cannot rely on security services controlled by her opponents and currently depends on private security made up in part by former Venezuelan servicemen, according to two people familiar with the matter.

In August, the U.S. and Venezuelan governments agreed to give a company run by a Venezuelan businessman close to government figures the right to develop lucrative oil deposits. Machado has warned that deals like this are not in the best interests of Venezuelans.

In an August interview with The Wall Street Journal, Machado said, “Delcy Rodríguez represents chaos.” Her solution is a presidential election: she contends that only after a democratic government takes power will foreign companies make the large investments needed to rebuild Venezuela’s economy and lure back the millions who have fled.

Machado’s return puts those economic and political priorities on the campaign trail. She plans to visit all 23 states while the interim government remains hostile and her personal security rests partly on private personnel. Her central argument is that democratic rule must come first, while the polls show that economic conditions are already weighing heavily on voters.