Updated July 16, 2026 at 7:27 AM MDT
CARACAS, Venezuela – Shouting "now or never," about 100 protesters in Caracas demanded that Venezuela's authoritarian regime hold free elections. Then, they marched to secret police headquarters to call for the release of more than 300 political prisoners.
But aside from dispatching shotgun-toting police agents to keep an eye on them, Venezuelan authorities mostly ignored the protesters and their demonstration, that took place last week, soon broke up.
In the wake of last month's twin earthquakes, which killed 4,829 people and injured 16,740, according to government figures, recovery efforts have become the top priority.
As a result, another vital concern — Venezuela's return to democracy — has been put on hold.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez replaced authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro, who was seized by U.S. troops in January. She is now working closely with the Trump administration. But U.S. officials are more focused on resurrecting Venezuela's oil industry than on advancing its return to democracy.
Critics contend that the post-earthquake state of emergency has allowed Rodríguez, who has kept many pro-Maduro hardliners in her government, to ignore demands that she set a timetable for holding presidential elections.
Last month, her government threw up roadblocks when the main opposition leader, María Corina Machado, tried to return from the U.S. to Venezuela. It briefly closed the country's airspace to her plane.
And in a speech last week, Rodríguez accused her critics of taking advantage of the chaos following the quakes to "conspire" against her government.
All this has left opposition activists deeply frustrated.
"The regime always comes up with new excuses to delay things," said José Rolón, a pro-Machado activist in La Guaira state, the area hardest hit by the earthquake. For them "it will never be the right time to talk about elections, or a democratic transition."
Yet some analysts caution against moving too fast.
Radio show host and former diplomat Vladimir Villegas says that before holding elections, Venezuela must first replace its highly partisan electoral council and supreme court.
Those institutions ratified Maduro's claims of victory in the 2024 presidential election despite widespread evidence that he lost in a landslide to opposition candidate Edmundo González. He was endorsed by Machado after she was banned by the Maduro regime from running for president.
"That's why holding elections right now would not be easy," Villegas says.
Polls show that Rodríguez is deeply unpopular and she has been roundly criticized for her government's slow response to the earthquake. Villegas says she may be less inclined to overstay her time in office after watching what happened to Maduro -- who tried to maintain his grip on power and is now in a New York prison facing drug-trafficking charges.
There had been some initial talks between opposition leaders and Rodríguez envoys about a democratic transition, but they were put on hold following the earthquake.
Meanwhile, Machado remains determined to restart the push for free elections.
"Some say that Venezuela needs to prepare and organize itself in order to carry out a fair and transparent electoral process," Machado told members of the European Union on Tuesday. "Venezuela is organized like no other society in our region. We have demonstrated this time and again in previous electoral processes."
The opposition is, itself, divided. Machado's faction boycotted last year's legislative elections and is deeply critical of politicians who chose to run for office and who now form a small opposition bloc in the National Assembly.
Another challenge is reviving Venezuelan political parties, many of which were outlawed or taken over by the Maduro regime. Vente Venezuela, Machado's party, is only now getting back on its feet. Its main office in Caracas was looted by regime supporters while hundreds of party activists were jailed or fled the country.
Recently released political prisoners include Henry Alviarez, Vente Venezuela's deputy leader. But he still faces what he describes as trumped-up charges of terrorism, treason and conspiracy, must report to judicial authorities every month and is prohibited from leaving Venezuela.
"Our party was persecuted and its members were jailed and forced to go underground," Alviarez said. "But little by little, we are regrouping."
As they wait for Machado to return to Venezuela, her party's activists are focused on providing earthquake relief. They have collected tons of medical supplies, including antibiotics, rubber gloves, face masks and body bags, which they are distributing to health workers in the disaster zone.
But volunteers, like Rosa Cucunuba, pledge that once recovery efforts subside, they will get back to politics -- and to pushing for free elections.
"We have to help people, with the things that they need right now," she says. "But that doesn't mean that we are not going to do all the work that we have to do to finally get freedom."
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