Vente Venezuela, the opposition party founded by María Corina Machado, is rebuilding its organization across the country as it prepares for what party officials describe as the imminent return of its leader.
Machado was unable to enter Venezuela from Panama last week, in the latest setback to plans for her return. Henry Alviarez, the party’s secretary of organization, said her arrival was still “a matter of days”, although the timing and method remain unclear.
The uncertainty has not stopped Vente from reorganizing its structures and preparing for renewed political mobilization. Party officials say they are working on the assumption that Machado will eventually return and that her presence could help revive an opposition movement weakened by government repression.
Party rebuilds after crackdown
Vente Venezuela suffered significant damage to its organization during the repression that followed Venezuela’s disputed 2024 presidential election. According to the party, around 200 of its activists were imprisoned, while several senior figures went into exile.
The organization is now gradually restoring its regional and local structures. Ten regional coordinators who had been abroad have returned to their posts, while dozens of municipal activists have also come back. Claudia Macero, Vente’s communications chief and a close ally of Machado, returned on September 27 after a period in exile.
Omar González, one of the party’s five national leaders, also recently returned after spending time at the Argentine embassy in Caracas. He said the national leadership was travelling around the country to strengthen the party’s grassroots Citizen Councils.
“Our first step has been to strengthen the Citizen Councils, which are our grassroots units,” González said. “From the bottom up, we are preparing for María Corina’s return.”
Vente is also seeking to expand its activist base and develop a stronger network of local leaders. Jesús Armas, a national leader who spent two years in prison, said the party had begun a large-scale registration drive for activists and volunteers.
Calls for elections amid growing protests
The party is pushing for an electoral timetable, arguing that Venezuela’s social and economic difficulties cannot be separated from demands for political change.
The Venezuelan Observatory on Social Conflict recorded 4,656 protests during the first eight months of 2026, almost all of them peaceful. The figure was nearly three times the number recorded during all of 2025, according to the organisation. Around 45% of the protests were primarily linked to demands for civil and political rights.
Vente has organized demonstrations and local activities in several parts of the country, including Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia, Apure, Falcón, La Guaira and Barinas.
On September 27, the party organized a nationwide cycling and motorcycle event in 12 of Venezuela’s 24 states to demand an electoral timetable.
The push comes as the timetable for Venezuela’s political transition remains unsettled. Jorge Rodríguez, head of the government’s negotiating team, recently said parliamentary, municipal and gubernatorial elections would take place before a presidential vote, which he said would be held within the timeframe established by the Constitution.
Tensions with Washington’s approach
Vente’s strategy also differs from the approach currently being pursued by the United States, according to the party.
Washington has prioritized stabilization, reconstruction, governance and creating conditions for investment, while supporting negotiations between government and opposition figures over a possible institutional transition. US officials have also argued that Venezuela is not currently ready for comprehensive institutional elections.
The approach has frustrated parts of the opposition, which are pushing for a faster return to electoral politics.
Vente officials say public dissatisfaction is growing as Venezuelans continue to face shortages, power outages and economic difficulties. According to an AtlasIntel-Bloomberg Latam Pulse poll cited in the report, interim President Delcy Rodríguez’s approval rating fell to 24% in August.
Party officials also acknowledge that public mobilization remains limited in many areas, with memories of the repression of 2024 and 2025 continuing to deter some Venezuelans from taking part in protests.
Machado remains central to the opposition strategy
Despite the party’s efforts to expand its organization, Machado remains at the centre of Vente Venezuela’s strategy.
“We’re preparing for María Corina’s return, but also for the upcoming presidential elections and for governing this country,” Alviarez said.
The party currently cannot register with Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, adding another obstacle to its participation in the country’s formal electoral system.
Vente says it is seeking to develop an organization capable of operating beyond Machado’s personal leadership. Armas said the party wanted to become a major liberal political institution with leaders throughout the country.
For now, however, party officials acknowledge that many supporters continue to place much of their hope in Machado’s return.
At the same time, security concerns remain. On September 17, former Torres mayor and Vente activist Javier Oropeza was detained by police for around 10 hours after giving an interview to a local news outlet, according to the report. He had recently returned from exile and had appeared in court the previous day in a terrorism case that was subsequently dismissed.
Vente is therefore attempting to rebuild its grassroots organization while navigating continued security risks, an uncertain electoral timetable and the unresolved question of when — and how — Machado will return to Venezuela.
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