A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Now to Venezuela, where opposition leader Maria Corina Machado's return is reshaping the political landscape. Manuel Rueda reports from Caracas.
(CHEERING)
MANUEL RUEDA, BYLINE: Maria Corina Machado received a rock-star welcome on Thursday when she arrived at her alma mater, the Universidad Catolica Andres Bello. Students swarmed around her as she entered an auditorium.
VICTORIA GUZMAN: (Speaking Spanish).
RUEDA: "Our country is in a very confusing spot right now," said law student Victoria Guzman. "But her arrival here is a sign of hope, a sign of good things to come."
In her first press conference since her surprise return on Sunday, Machado urged faster progress towards elections next year.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MARIA CORINA MACHADO: (Speaking Spanish).
RUEDA: "While the current regime is in power, none of the problems people face are going to be solved," she said. "The date of the election is the date of our liberation."
Political change has been slow since U.S. troops removed Nikolas Maduro from power earlier this year. His vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, took over, and the ruling party remains firmly in control of key institutions. With U.S. backing, opposition parties are negotiating reforms with Rodriguez's government, including changes to the supreme court. Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela analyst at the Atlantic Council, says courts must be independent before an election can be held.
GEOFF RAMSEY: In 2024, for instance, the previous U.S. administration helped the opposition negotiate a date for a new presidential election. And the ruling party in Venezuela simply stole it.
RUEDA: Machado's return is certainly putting pressure on the government.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DELCY RODRIGUEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
RUEDA: An hour before Machado spoke, interim President Rodriguez addressed the nation, announcing that police would no longer be able to make arrests without warrants. She wore a white suit, nearly identical to Machado's trademark look. Ramsey again.
RAMSEY: Delcy's main message was, I'm the one in charge, and any kind of a transition will have to pass through me and through my coalition.
RUEDA: The split-screen moment offered a glimpse of Venezuela's emerging political duel between a regime promising gradual reform and an opposition leader demanding more radical change.
For NPR News, I'm Manuel Rueda in Caracas.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.