Madrid, Spain – Hundreds of Venezuelans waving flags and chanting “libertad” filled a central Madrid plaza on Friday, as Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado, arrived for a symbolic ceremony to receive the ‘Llave de Oro’ – or ‘Golden Key.’

Some in the crowd had travelled from across the country to see her on her multi-day visit to Spain. Many sang along as an orchestra played well-known Venezuelan songs.

Inside the city’s historic town hall — and broadcast on a large screen outside — Machado was given the prestigious award, an honor typically reserved for visiting heads of state.

The city’s mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, said it recognized her “fight for freedom, democracy and peace” in Venezuela, describing her as “the embodiment of the Venezuelan people’s resistance”.

Machado, responding, first wished the mayor a happy birthday before saying she hoped to return to Venezuela soon.

“Keys open doors, and today they symbolize the opening to freedom for the Venezuelan nation,” she said, adding that she would one day reciprocate the honor in a free Venezuela.

Many Venezuelans at the event said they too planned to return home if political change comes.

Maribel Santiago, who said she has lived in Spain for 10 years, described Machado as a symbol of hope and optimism for her country.  “I have my suitcases ready,” she said. “When María Corina returns, I will return too.”

Another Venezuelan in the crowd, 10-year-old Mónica, had travelled from Málaga with her mother to see Machado. After the ceremony, the Venezuelan leader stopped to speak to her and Monica presented her with flowers in the color of the Venezuelan flag and a card. “She’s such an important person to me,” she said. “I will never forget this day.”

The “Llave de Oro” has previously been awarded to only a small number of non-heads of state, underlining the political weight of the gesture.

Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, had earlier met leaders of Spain’s conservative Popular Party, including Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and also met the leader from the right-wing party Vox, Santiago Abascal..

She is not expected to meet Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is hosting a separate gathering of left-wing leaders in Barcelona this weekend.  

Read more: Latin America’s left gather in Spain to counter far-right

Machado is due to take part in further events over the coming days, including a mass rally on Saturday expected to draw thousands from Spain’s Venezuelan diaspora and a visit to the Senate on Monday.

Spain is home to one of the largest Venezuelan communities in Europe — numbering close to 700,000 — many of whom fled the country’s prolonged political and economic crisis.

Machado also visited Edmundo González Urrutia in hospital. He had been expected to attend Saturday’s rally, but said he would be unable to join due to a follow-up medical procedure.

The retired diplomat stood in for Machado in the 2024 presidential election after she was barred from running and is widely believed by the opposition to have won the vote.

Machado has said she will return to Venezuela “soon”, although no date has been given.

Featured image: Maria Corina Machado embraces a young girl in Madrid at a ceremony in her honor on April 17, 2026.

Image credit: Catherine Ellis for Latin America Reports

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Police fired tear gas at protesters in Caracas on Thursday, as workers marched to demand higher wages and better pensions.

Demonstrators, reported to number around 2,000, attempted to reach the presidential palace but were blocked by officers in riot gear. Videos shared on social media show police in helmets and shields scuffling with protesters as clashes broke out along the route.

The protest is the latest in a series of anti-government demonstrations that have occurred since the U.S. removed longtime leader Nicolás Maduro on January 3. 

Edward Ocariz, who was at the protest, told Latin America Reports there was a lot of shoving by police. He said an officer took his phone as he was filming on it, but he managed to get it back, sustaining an injury to his hand in the process.

One video published by Venezuelan human rights organisation PROVEA appears to show an officer assaulting a person with his shield, which the NGO said was its photographer.

Workers took to the street to protest over low wages and pensions that have left some citizens struggling to get by. Venezuela’s minimum wage for public sector workers has not been increased since 2022, leaving many employees with just 130 bolívares per month — equivalent to less than US$0.30, not even enough for a loaf of bread.

Top up ‘bonuses’ – additional payments given out by the government — can raise total income to between US$50 and $150, but unions and workers say these are unreliable and they want a dignified salary.

For years, Venezuelans have endured an economic crisis that has left people struggling to pay for food, medicine and basic goods.

“We’re not going to keep surviving on a miserable wage,” Rene Zapata, Secretary of the Organization of the Venezuelan Teachers’ Federation in Miranda State, told Latin America Reports. “With my wage I cannot even buy half a carton of eggs,” he said.

Zapata said he and other demonstrators had managed to push past some barricades and that workers just wanted a better income and to be able to afford to eat.

Since Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a U.S. operation on January 3, there have been an increase in anti-government protests calling for better living standards. Following the 2024 presidential election — when Maduro claimed victory despite opposition evidence showing he had lost — protests had been almost non-existent due to the threat of detention.

“People have shown they’ve lost their fear. We are no longer afraid, and we will keep moving forward for a fair wage,” Zapata said.

On Wednesday evening, interim president Delcy Rodríguez announced that wages would rise on May 1, describing the increase as “responsible” and designed to avoid inflation, though she did not disclose the amount. While hoping to quell public discontent, many public-sector workers said the announcement fell short of what they deserved.

“They come talking about a responsible increase, but it is a fallacy and a lie,” Argelia Castillo, general secretary of the APUFAT‑UCV union representing workers at the Central University of Venezuela, told Latin America Reports. 

Castillo, a social worker and university professor, said the government should ensure salaries cover the basic cost of living. She added, “Workers cannot endure this, and we cannot wait until May 1.”Rodríguez has been leading the country since Maduro’s capture, but many citizens see her as a continuation of the old administration and are hoping for new elections.

Featured image description: Workers partake in a protest in Caracas in March 2026 calling for higher salaries.

Featured image credit: Catherine Ellis

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Nicolás Maduro returned to a New York federal court on Thursday for a pre‑trial hearing, facing U.S. charges of narcoterrorism, cocaine trafficking, and weapons offenses.

It was the second court appearance of the ousted Venezuelan leader since his capture alongside his wife, Cilia Flores, on January 3, 2026, from a military compound in Caracas. Both pleaded not guilty two days after their capture, with Maduro describing himself as a “prisoner of war.”

The hearing was a procedural step ahead of any potential trial, where the court will consider pre‑trial motions. Maduro’s defense attorney asked the court to drop the case citing the U.S. blocking payments to the former president’s lawyers. 

One of the central issues at the moment is legal funding for Maduro and Flores. The couple say they don’t have the personal resources to cover their legal fees. Their lawyers argue that U.S. sanctions are blocking them from accessing Venezuelan government funds to pay for their defense — and that this restriction prevents them from choosing their own attorneys, a right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein questioned the prosecution over the blockage of funds, which the U.S. argues are related to sanctions on Venezuela’s government. 

Both Maduro and Flores are on the U.S. sanctions list. Current regulations generally prohibit a sanctioned government from paying the legal fees of sanctioned individuals without a specific license. That means, for now, Caracas cannot cover their legal bills without special permission from Washington.

While Maduro argues he is Venezuela’s legitimate president, the United States did not recognize his claim to office at the time of his arrest. But it has since recognized Delcy Rodríguez as interim president, a close ally of Maduro’s who had served as vice president.

Maduro had led Venezuela since 2013, following the death of Hugo Chávez, as head of the socialist, anti‑imperialist chavismo movement. Critics say Maduro’s government became increasingly authoritarian. His claimed victory in the 2024 presidential election was disputed, with voting tallies collected by the opposition indicating their candidate had won.

He faces four federal counts, including conspiracy to participate in narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, and offenses related to possession and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. His wife, Cilia Flores, faces related charges.

Groups of both pro and anti-Maduro protesters gathered outside on Thursday, some calling for the release of Maduro and Flores. Others however, sang the Venezuelan national anthem and expressed their satisfaction that he was going through a judicial process in the U.S.

Some Maduro supporters gathered in central Caracas watched the scene outside court on a large screen. Maduro and Flores’ son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra who is also a politician, was also at the rally.

The case unfolds as Washington balances sanctions enforcement with ongoing engagement with Caracas, including in the energy and mining sectors.

Featured image: Nicolás Maduro arrives on a New York helipad ahead of his first court appearance on January 5, 2026.

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