Venezuela’s Machado lauds Trump for ‘freedom’, urges 2027 elections
Nobel winner returns to Venezuela from exile, urging elections and criticising a controversial US oil deal with Caracas.
![Machado holds a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, October 29, 2026 [Pedro Mattey/AP Photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ap_6ae40d5cb60df-1793330524.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Nobel winner returns to Venezuela from exile, urging elections and criticising a controversial US oil deal with Caracas.
![Machado holds a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, October 29, 2026 [Pedro Mattey/AP Photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ap_6ae40d5cb60df-1793330524.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)






![Supporters of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado rally to demand her return to the country and immediate elections in Los Teques, Venezuela, on Sunday, September 27, 2026 [Pedro Mattey/AP Photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26270667532092-1790559365.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)


Venezuelans protested in New York against interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s participation in the UN General Assembly.
Trump says the country has made progress against narcotics since Maduro’s removal, may also remove Colombia and Bolivia.
As part of Delcy Rodriguez’s ‘Venezuela reborn’ campaign, murals of leaders like Hugo Chavez are being removed.
Her lawyers say Flores needs cardiac treatment and recovery facilities a detention centre cannot provide.

Critics call the US multi-billion-dollar oil deal in Venezuela modern-day colonialism.
Former Venezuelan leader was abducted by US forces during a military attack on Caracas in January.
Abducted Venezuelan leader’s post appears to show him in US detention, published two days after US-Venezuela oil deal.

US President Donald Trump has claimed the US and Venezuela have reached the ‘biggest oil deal in world history’.
Pact with Caracas would bolster US oil supplies for years to come, but may face legal challenges.
As detainees granted ‘alternative’ to imprisonment, US welcomes release as crucial step for Venezuela’s reconciliation.