Maria Corina Machado urges boycott of May 25 vote in Venezuela

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado calls for mass abstention from regional elections, denouncing the vote as a ploy to legitimize Maduro's regime.

A screen grab shows Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gesturing during an interview with AFP via Zoom in Caracas on May 15, 2025. (c) AFP

By Clarisa Sendy and Anna Fadiah

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has called on citizens to boycott the upcoming May 25 gubernatorial and legislative elections, asserting that the vote is a carefully orchestrated farce by President Nicolas Maduro’s regime to erase its contested defeat in last year's presidential election. Her call for non-participation is the latest salvo in Venezuela’s long-standing political crisis, with Machado promising that polling stations will be “empty” as a sign of popular rejection of the ruling government.

Speaking in an exclusive interview via Zoom with AFP on Thursday, Machado dismissed the regional elections as a charade, declaring: “May 25 will be a huge defeat for the regime because it will find itself absolutely alone.” She claimed that widespread abstention will expose the government’s lack of legitimacy following the disputed July 2024 presidential vote, in which Maduro claimed a third term.

Her remarks are part of a broader campaign by the Democratic Unity Platform (PUD), the main opposition coalition, which Machado represents. The group has rejected the upcoming elections and instead insists on keeping public attention on what it asserts was Maduro’s fraudulent victory last year—an outcome dismissed by most of the international community and contradicted by independent tallies showing the opposition's candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, won a clear majority.

Divided opposition ahead of regional elections

Despite Machado’s rallying cry, Venezuela’s opposition remains divided. While her faction urges a boycott, other groups—including one led by two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles—have signaled their intent to participate in the May 25 vote. Capriles has argued that electoral participation remains the only viable strategy to dislodge Maduro’s entrenched government.

Capriles’ stance reflects a deep strategic rift among the opposition. While Machado and her supporters insist that taking part in elections organized by a regime they deem illegitimate only serves to validate its rule, Capriles counters that political disengagement risks ceding further ground to Maduro's allies, who continue to dominate Venezuela’s political and institutional structures.

“We must go to the polls because there is no other path,” Capriles said recently, underscoring the desperation many Venezuelans feel amid years of economic crisis, repression, and international isolation.

History of boycotts and electoral manipulation

Machado's call for a boycott is not without precedent. Venezuela’s opposition also abstained from parliamentary elections in 2020 and presidential elections in 2018, citing a lack of transparency and widespread manipulation. The 2020 boycott led to the loss of the opposition’s legislative majority and paved the way for Maduro’s loyalists to reassert control over the National Assembly. Human rights groups have since documented a rise in politically motivated legislation and increasing restrictions on civil liberties.

The 2018 presidential election, in which Maduro claimed reelection, was similarly marred by irregularities and rejected by most of the international community. That same pattern, Machado argues, is repeating in 2025. By choosing not to participate this time, her coalition hopes to delegitimize the vote and amplify international pressure on Maduro’s administration.

“The regime is desperate to create the illusion of democracy,” Machado said. “But the people are not fooled. They know this is not a real election.”

Growing vulnerability within the regime

Despite Maduro’s grip on power, bolstered by the unwavering support of Venezuela’s security forces, Machado insisted that cracks are beginning to appear within the government’s inner circles. “There are divisions, and the regime is in a state of great vulnerability,” she claimed.

While there is little public evidence to support that assertion, opposition leaders believe the combination of international sanctions, economic stagnation, and domestic dissent is slowly eroding Maduro’s base. Still, the regime has proven remarkably resilient, often outmaneuvering and repressing its political opponents with precision.

For her part, Machado has spent much of the past year in hiding, following an intensified crackdown on opposition leaders. She briefly re-emerged in January to attend a protest in Caracas, the day before Maduro’s third presidential inauguration—a ceremony many foreign governments refused to recognize.

Disputed territory and rising tensions

In a sign that Maduro is continuing to assert authority through nationalist appeals, his ruling party has included the long-disputed, oil-rich Essequibo region—administered by neighboring Guyana—on the list of contested governorships. Critics say the move is a transparent attempt to distract from domestic failures and ignite patriotic sentiment.

Meanwhile, Maduro continues to blame Venezuela’s economic woes on crippling U.S. sanctions, which were imposed to punish what Washington describes as autocratic and fraudulent rule. However, some opposition members believe that the sanctions have disproportionately harmed ordinary Venezuelans, who struggle daily with hyperinflation, food shortages, and inadequate healthcare.

Machado rejected that line of thinking outright, stating, “The only person responsible for the sanctions is Nicolas Maduro.” She insisted that her movement would continue to press for genuine democratic reform and international accountability.

The struggle ahead

With just days remaining before the May 25 vote, the opposition's internal divisions and Maduro’s continued consolidation of power paint a grim picture of Venezuela's political landscape. Machado remains defiant, urging Venezuelans to resist what she calls a “rigged spectacle,” and pledging to continue her fight until there is meaningful change.

“We are not backing down,” she said. “Our people deserve real democracy, not this staged performance.”

As Venezuela approaches another pivotal moment, the world will be watching closely. Whether Machado’s call for a boycott will resonate widely enough to affect voter turnout—and whether Maduro’s grip can be loosened—remains to be seen. What is clear is that the stakes for Venezuela’s future have never been higher.