Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado called Thursday in Caracas for elections next year after returning to the country, the BBC reported¹.

At a news conference, Machado said the country’s move toward democracy was irreversible and that there would be elections in 2027, without giving an exact date, according to the BBC¹. The same day, interim President Delcy Rodríguez said elections would be held and that her government should oversee a transition of that scale, the BBC said; she did not set a date¹. Machado dismissed that claim as illogical, the BBC reported¹.

Machado thanked the Trump administration for capturing former President Nicolás Maduro, the BBC said¹. After the U.S. seizure in January, Washington backed Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, who was sworn in as interim president, according to that account¹. Machado’s return depended on approval from the Trump administration, the BBC reported¹.

She said she had not received an invitation to meet Rodríguez and would not personally take part in election talks between opposition representatives and the government, while saying she wanted the electoral body reformed so Venezuelans at home and abroad could vote¹. Shortly before her event, Rodríguez said she had instructed security agencies that no one be detained without a judicial order except in flagrant crimes, and spoke of doors being open to returning exiles, the BBC reported¹.

Latin America Reports said the news conference was at Andrés Bello Catholic University and interviewed students who said they hoped her return would lead to a vote and reasons to stay in the country². That outlet said talks between the government and opposition have not included Machado’s Vente Venezuela movement². Al Jazeera’s available page confirmed the Oct. 29 Caracas appearance and the 2027 elections call³.

What Machado will do next, including whether she will run, was not settled in the accounts reviewed^1,2.