The Pact that Defines the Candidacy of María Corina Machado as President of Venezuela: The Opposition Conclave in Panama

Friday, May 22, 2026. A stopover in Panama. The guests arrived from Spain, Caracas, Maracaibo, the United States, Colombia, and other regions.  María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize laureate and political leader, managed to bring together most of Venezuela’s opposition political parties, both traditional and some independent, in a closed-door meeting in Panama.

María Corina Machado at a meeting with Venezuelans in Panama: ‘Start packing your suitcases’

The objective: to establish the strategy that will lead her to become a presidential candidate in elections less than a year from now. Machado affirmed that she will be a presidential candidate in the “clean and free” elections to be held in her country as part of the three-phase plan underway to restore “freedom” in Venezuela.

María Corina Machado took advantage of the stopover in Panama to meet with traditional and independent political parties in Venezuela.

María Corina Machado met with President José Raúl Mulino

Panama City, Panama: Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado held an official meeting this Monday, May 25, with the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, at the Presidential Palace.  During the meeting, Machado stated that there is a need for a process towards clean, transparent and democratic elections in Venezuela, because with this step the beginning of rectifying the political, economic and social crisis that the country has experienced and that has generated numerous waves of irregular migration with effects throughout the continent.  Machado thanked President Mulino and Panama for expressing their unwavering support for democracy in Venezuela in all international forums, and for welcoming thousands of Venezuelans over the past few years. 

Machado has been in Panama since May 22 as part of an international tour that has included meetings with media, political sectors and the Venezuelan diaspora residing in the country.  During her stay, the opposition leader also participated in an interview with TVN Noticias, where she addressed the political situation in Venezuela and reiterated her call for free and fair elections. In that interview, Machado emphasized the role of the international community in supporting a democratic transition in her country.  The meeting between Machado and Mulino strengthens diplomatic ties and regional interest in the political situation in Venezuela, in a context of growing international attention on the future of the South American country. President Mulino was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Javier Martínez Acha, and Kristelle Getzler, Secretary of Economic Affairs and Competitiveness of the Ministry of the Presidency.  The entourage that accompanied Machado included Gerardo Fernández, Pedro Urruchurtu, Magalli Meda and Carlos Blanco.