Venezuela's Machado Warns of 'Real Risk' of 'Anarchic' Unrest Without Election Timeline in the Country

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado warned that the country risks slipping into disorder if authorities fail to set a clear date for presidential elections, arguing that an organized electoral process is essential to maintaining stability after months of political upheaval.

"There is a real risk: if people feel that the path is being closed off, they may start pushing in an unorganized way that could turn anarchic. An electoral timetable with a fixed date is the guarantee of peace and stability," Machado said in an interview with Spain's es Radio, framing the absence of a timeline as a potential trigger for uncontrolled social pressure.

Her remarks come as Venezuela navigates a fragile political moment following the removal of Nicolás Maduro earlier this year and the rise of interim leadership under Delcy Rodríguez. Machado has positioned elections as the central mechanism to channel public frustration, warning that delaying them could produce the opposite effect.

In a separate interview, with EFE, she said that those who see risks in holding elections overlook that "not holding elections carries a much greater risk."

Machado added that she plans to return to Venezuela to help direct what she described as growing civic pressure into a structured, peaceful process. "I must and will return to Venezuela to channel all this genuine anguish," she said, adding that any electoral process must include a fixed date and avoid what she described as past "deceptions."

The opposition leader argued that the relative calm seen in recent months should not be mistaken for stability. "The country was contained by fear," she said, describing a climate in which dissent was suppressed through arrests and intimidation. According to her account, that restraint began to ease after early January, when political conditions shifted and public mobilization increased.

She also emphasized that economic hardship is only part of the crisis. "Of course there is hunger... but there is also a hunger for freedom," Machado said, pointing to a broader demand for political change and dignity. Analysts and opposition figures have similarly warned that public patience may be limited if expectations for reform are not met.

Machado reiterated that any transition must be based on transparent elections, with participation from Venezuelans abroad, and suggested that a defined timetable could prevent escalation. "An electoral calendar with a fixed date is the guarantee of peace," she said.