María Corina Machado and Edmundo González proclaimed 2026 as the year of freedom in Venezuela

Caracas.– Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, María Corina Machado, along with former presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, proclaimed 2026 as the year of freedom in Venezuela, assuring that the country has advanced in unity, citizen awareness, and international support to achieve a political transition. The announcement was made through a New Year’s message broadcast on social media, in which both leaders expressed their confidence that next year will mark a turning point for the country. Machado stated that Venezuela is today “a country different from a year ago”, more aware of its collective strength, more united in the essentials and with greater clarity about what it is not willing to accept again. The opposition leader, María Corina, also highlighted the role of international allies, emphasizing that the effort made during 2025 has strengthened Venezuela’s image before the world. “For the whole world, the name of Venezuela means nobility, courage, and an infinite love for freedom,” she stated, while acknowledging that the path has not been without challenges.

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Machado also pointed out that, despite the daily difficulties, significant progress was made during 2025, which allows us to affirm that the country is close to achieving the longing for freedom.

“In the struggle, new challenges appear, but also conquests that bring us closer to what we have always dreamed of,” expressed the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

For his part, Edmundo González assured that the year that ends “has not been easy“, but it has marked “a before and after in the contemporary history of Venezuela”. He stressed that the difficulties faced have strengthened the resilience of the Venezuelan people and their commitment to a democratic, possible and realistic path.

Both leaders agreed that the decision to move towards a political change was already made by the citizenry and that, despite the obstacles, there is no turning back. “This path requires patience and mutual trust, but it is firm and we are going to travel it together. Venezuela is going to change and it is going to do it well”, they pointed out.

The joint statement comes after the fraud allegations in the 2024 presidential elections, which led both leaders into exile for security reasons. Machado left the country to receive the Nobel Peace Prize after remaining hidden for months, while González moved to Spain in September 2024 after denouncing political persecution. The Venezuelan political situation continues to be marked by the physical absence of its main opposition leaders, while the citizenry closely follows their messages, which reaffirm the commitment to civic mobilization and the democratic path as a way towards change in the country.