MADRID — Exiled Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado drew several thousand supporters to a rally at Puerta del Sol in Madrid on April 18, 2026, and declined a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Sánchez was hosting a summit of progressive leaders from around the world the same day.

"What happened in the last few hours at the meeting (Sánchez) held in Barcelona with several leaders and political figures from different countries demonstrates why such a meeting was not advisable," Machado said. Earlier in the day, she was hosted by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the conservative regional leader of Madrid and a critic of Sánchez. Ayuso stood beside Machado during the rally.

The appearance was part of a multicountry European tour during which the Nobel Peace Prize laureate met with the leaders of France, Italy and the Netherlands. Machado said she would return to Venezuela but declined to say when or how, acknowledging challenges in doing so. She said the government of Delcy Rodríguez represented chaos, violence and terror, and that Venezuela needs democratic elections. Rodríguez has remained in her temporary role as Venezuela's interim president beyond the 90-day limit initially imposed, and the U.S. government has lifted some sanctions against her.

Approximately 600,000 Venezuelans live in Spain, the largest population of Venezuelan expatriates outside the Americas. A majority live in Madrid, having fled political persecution, violence and economic hardship in Venezuela.

Grehlsy Peñuela, a 27-year-old Venezuelan migrant, attended the rally holding signs bearing the faces of her two cousins. She said the cousins remain incarcerated in Caracas as political prisoners, and that she would consider returning to Venezuela only if the current government completely steps down. Peñuela said she still placed her hopes for her country in Machado and Machado's eventual return to Caracas.