Venezuela, 10 months later: The transition may finally be underway

María Corina Machado’s return to Venezuela has led many analysts to say that a political transition may finally be beginning. Her arrival has energised the opposition and appears to have started an early presidential campaign, although the country’s political future remains uncertain.

Machado said a presidential election should be held in July 2027, but no date has been set. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez says elections will follow the Constitution, while the government has not formally declared Nicolás Maduro permanently absent from office. That declaration could determine whether an election must be called within 30 days or whether Rodríguez could stay in power until 2030; Machado’s popular support may complicate efforts to delay a vote.