Overview
- Speaking at a conference in Panama, Machado announced she will be a candidate in the proposed presidential election and said she welcomes other contenders.
- She demanded the immediate designation of a National Electoral Council that meets constitutional rules and is staffed by politically unaffiliated, credible members.
- Machado highlighted that about 4 to 5 million Venezuelans are registered abroad and said roughly 40% of citizens lacked the chance to vote in the 2024 contest, arguing diaspora inclusion is essential for legitimacy.
- She credited U.S. support for a three-phase plan of stabilization, recovery and transmission to elections and said the plan is progressing while pledging to coordinate her return to Venezuela before the end of 2026.
- The announcement frames the next stage of a contested transition that the opposition says began with its July 2024 victory and makes the credibility of election institutions and diaspora voting the key issues to watch.