Venezuela's Opposition Backs Machado for Leadership

Venezuela's opposition Unitary Democratic Platform has confirmed its support for exiled Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado as its leader. The coalition, which met in Caracas, has also renewed its demand for free elections in the country.

The opposition's statement outlines 14 proposals for a democratic transition, including freedom for political parties to operate, the release of all political prisoners, and the safe return of those who left Venezuela.

Machado has been in exile since leaving Venezuela last December to receive the Nobel Prize. Her party, Vente Venezuela, says that Venezuelan authorities have repeatedly blocked her attempts to return.

In 2023, Machado won the opposition's presidential primary, but in January 2024 courts barred her from running, leaving in force a 15-year ban on holding public office.