Venezuelan nationals gathered in cities across Latin America on Saturday (October 17), with protests in San Jose, Buenos Aires, and Santiago demanding presidential elections in their homeland.

Attendees of the coordinated protests demanded that the date of elections be set as soon as possible, pushed for the release of those they call “political prisoners,” and called for opposition leader Maria Corina Machado to be allowed back in the country.

Gabriela Onetto, a representative of Comando con Venezuela in Costa Rica, said exiles want to be part of Venezuela’s transition process and that Venezuelans worldwide are demanding free elections.

Meanwhile Aristides Francisco Carreras, an IT engineer and Venezuelan exile in Buenos Aires, said the Venezuelan people deserve the opportunity to choose their own future. In Santiago the coordinator of Vente Venezuela Chile, Ender Sandrea, stressed the need for immediate elections with a reformed electoral council.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA (OCTOBER 17, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. PROTESTERS CHANTING CALLING FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN VENEZUELA

2. PROTESTER WITH VENEZUELAN FLAG

3. PROTESTERS HOLDING LETTERS SPELLING OUT (English): "SET THE DATE"

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REPRESENTATIVE OF COMANDO CON VENEZUELA IN COSTA RICA, GABRIELA ONETTO, SAYING:

"Today Venezuelans in Costa Rica and in more than 100 cities around the world are gathering under the same slogan: Presidential elections date now. Venezuelans around the world want to be heard, we want to be part of this transition process that Venezuela is going through, we want to be part of this guardianship that Venezuela is going through and for the voice of Venezuelans to be heard and included in this transition process. We Venezuelans ask for free elections, the return of Maria Corina Machado and the freedom of all political prisoners in Venezuela."

5. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING WITH FLAGS

6. PROTESTERS CHANTING (Spanish) “Delcy out!”

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) IT ENGINEER AND VENEZUELAN EXILE, RICARDO ROMERO LOPEZ, SAYING:

"Venezuela wants the opportunity to be able to choose, to be able to decide the future. You are no one to silence the Venezuelan people, a brave, valuable people who will tell you very soon, very close, in a short time, that Venezuela has definitely changed."

8. PROTESTERS CHANTING WITH FLAGS

9. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WITH “SET THE DATE” LETTERS

10. VENEZUELAN FLAG WAVING OVER PROTESTER'S BACK

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (OCTOBER 17, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

11. OBELISK OF BUENOS AIRES

12. VENEZUELANS GATHERED FOR PROTEST

13. SIGN READING (Spanish): "Freedom and autonomy for Venezuela"

14. VARIOUS OF PROTESTER WITH DOLL REPRESENTING NICOLAS MADURO LOCKED IN CAGE WITH SIGN READING (Spanish): "For (being a) torturer and narco"

15. VENEZUELANS WITH VENEZUELAN FLAGS AND SIGN CALLING FOR RELEASE OF ARGENTINE GERMAN GIULIANI IN VENEZUELAN CUSTODY

16. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN FROM CARACAS RESIDING IN ARGENTINA, ARISTIDES FRANCISCO CARRERAS, SAYING:

"The Venezuelan diaspora, we feel disheartened because our leader, the person we trust, Maria Corina Machado, has not been allowed to enter the country. We are also here because we need all the people who have expressed their will to be free. Political prisoners have a condition that has not occurred in Venezuela. In Venezuela they are imprisoned for ideology, not for politics. The other thing we need are free elections and for this to happen two fundamental conditions must exist: one, the change of the National Electoral Council, fundamentally and quickly, and two, that the legislative system of Venezuela be finished being organised."

17. ARISTIDES CARRERAS WITH VENEZUELAN FLAG

18. SIGN CALLING FOR RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS

19. VARIOUS OF VENEZUELANS GATHERED IN CENTRE OF BUENOS AIRES WITH FLAGS

20. WOMAN SHOWING VENEZUELAN FLAG READING (Spanish): "Until the end"

SANTIAGO, CHILE (OCTOBER 17, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

21. VARIOUS OF VENEZUELANS IN CHILE DEMANDING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN VENEZUELA

22. PROTESTERS WITH SIGNS

23. VENEZUELAN GIANT FLAG

24. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COORDINATOR OF ORGANISATION VENTE VENEZUELA CHILE, ENDER SANDREA, SAYING:

"We are demanding elections now. We don't want to delay the process any further, we are in a process where the situation in Venezuela is becoming extremely complicated every day, that is why we are demanding elections now, with a new CNE (National Electoral Council ) and with a stipulated date for the process."

25. VARIOUS OF VENEZUELANS AT PROTEST WITH FLAGS AND SIGNS

26. PAINTING OF VENEZUELAN OPOSITION LEADER MARIA CORINA MACHADO