Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Monday (October 26) that she hopes negotiations with a faction of the opposition will offer space for all voices to be heard, a day after opposition leader Maria Corina Machado returned to the country.

“I hope the dialogue continues to provide a space for political participation, and that those who have harmed Venezuela, those who called for sanctions and external aggression, feel some remorse and regret," the acting president said during a visit to a military hospital in Caracas. “I hope both the dialogue and the program for democratic coexistence and peace can provide a space where all voices can be heard, where voices seeking the good of the country can be heard."

Machado's return to Venezuela after several failed attempts risks straining her ties with US President Donald Trump's administration. Washington has said she has every right to be in Venezuela, but has praised Rodriguez and supports a negotiation process between the Rodriguez government and opposition groups that does not include Machado's Vente Venezuela movement.

The talks, which have continued this month, would remake the electoral council and top court ahead of eventual elections.

Meanwhile, Diosdado Cabello, secretary-general of the ruling PSUV party and the interior minister, said on Monday that no one in Venezuela is being persecuted and that the government has long said anyone who wants to return is free to do so.

He accused the opposition of "putting on a show." He said those returning should take responsibility for what they said and did in the streets and engage in politics.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

CARACAS, VENEZUELA (OCTOBER 26, 2026) (VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT TV - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF VENEZUELAN ACTING PRESIDENT DELCY RODRIGUEZ TOURING HOSPITAL

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN ACTING PRESIDENT, DELCY RODRIGUEZ, SAYING: (SOUNDBITE RUNS OVER DIFFERENT SHOTS OF RODRIGUEZ)

"I hope the dialogue continues to provide a space for political participation, and that those who have harmed Venezuela, those who called for sanctions and external aggression, feel some remorse and regret, and I hope both the dialogue and the program for democratic coexistence and peace can provide a space where all voices can be heard, where voices seeking the good of the country can be heard. May the voices of good be heard, and may Venezuelans' experiences be put to work for the benefit of the Venezuelan people. Because, ultimately, this country is much greater than any single person—or even two or three people. So I hope these forums remain open and that Venezuela undergoes a profound transformation."

3. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN ACTING PRESIDENT, DELCY RODRIGUEZ, SAYING:

"REPORTER ASKING: From where Maria Corina Machado entered Venezuela?

RODRIGUEZ: Look, that’s beside the point. What I mean is that many people who benefited from the Amnesty Law—a process aimed at peaceful coexistence—have been able to enter through the new airport facilities, which have also received very positive feedback. I truly believe that politics must stop being treated like a show. Politics is a very serious matter—why? Because it concerns citizen lives; because every decision we make affects the population; because any measure we design based on knowledge and expertise has implications for the population as a whole. So it doesn’t matter. We could have avoided the spectacle— the airport is there. So let’s move away from the spectacle and focus on taking politics seriously. We don’t know what she and her organizers were aiming for, but if they did it that way, they must have had some objective in mind. We say that the new airport facilities are there."

5. RODRIGUEZ TALKING WITH REPORTERS

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN ACTING PRESIDENT, DELCY RODRIGUEZ, SAYING:

"I hope for repentance, remorse, and redemption, and that I can contribute something to the country. We’re working to ensure the justice system in Venezuela is independent and transparent, but above all, that poverty isn't criminalized, because the main victims of the justice system in Venezuela are the poor, and I pray for the poor in this country. So, well, thank you all."

7. RODRIGUEZ GREETING HOSPITAL OFFICIALS

8. PRESS CONFERENCE OF SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE RULING PSUV PARTY AND MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR DIOSDADO CABELLO

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE RULING PSUV PARTY AND MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR, DIOSDADO CABELLO, SAYING:

"Since when have we been saying that anyone who wants to come should come? No one here is being persecuted. They’re putting on a show; we’ve been saying for a long time, 'Stop the show, stop the show. Let anyone who wants to come come, take responsibility for what they said and did in the streets, and get involved in politics."

10. PEOPLE APPLAUDING

11. PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE RULING PSUV PARTY AND MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR, DIOSDADO CABELLO, SAYING:

"We’re moving forward; our proposal remains the same. We’ll keep working—as for them (referring to the opposition), they’ve got their own problems; they already have enough on their hands. They have plenty of problems, and now they have one more—let’s see how they work it out among themselves. We wish them luck. (People applauding, and Cabello begins to read a letter from Simon Bolivar.) 'It doesn’t scare me. We’re used to seeing far more terrifying ghosts up close—ghosts that vanish the moment we approach them'. 1823 Letter from Bolívar to Sucre. Far more terrifying ghosts."

13. VARIOUS OF PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS