Speaking in a televised address on Monday, Rodriguez described the opposition leader's homecoming as a spectacle and called for greater attention to political dialogue and the concerns of Venezuelans.

"Let us step away from the show and focus on making politics something very serious. That is something that she [Maria Corina Machado] and her organisers had. We do not know, but if they did it that way, they will be seeking some objective," she said.

Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday after nearly ten months abroad, receiving a welcome from thousands of supporters who gathered to celebrate her arrival.

Rodriguez did not explain how Machado entered the country but questioned the need for such a public reception.

"I truly believe politics as a show must end, because politics is something very serious. Why is politics something very serious? Because it has to do with citizens' lives. The show could have been avoided," Rodriguez asserted.

The acting president also addressed international sanctions and foreign actions against Venezuela, urging those who supported such measures to consider their consequences.

"May those who have harmed Venezuela, who called for sanctions and external aggression, feel some remorse and repentance, and may both the space of dialogue and the Programme for Democratic Coexistence and Peace serve so that all voices can be heard," she added.

Rodriguez further defended her government's position on political rights and justice, calling for an independent and transparent judicial system that protects vulnerable communities.

"There is no political persecution in Venezuela; it is the new Venezuela that I aspire to and the new Venezuela I work for," she maintained, referring to her family's experience of political persecution during her childhood.

Her comments came a day after Machado returned to Venezuela following an extended period outside the country.

The opposition leader left Venezuela in December 2025 and travelled to Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

In January 2026, Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House.

During Monday's address, Rodriguez also congratulated Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on his victory over Liberal Party candidate Flavio Bolsonaro in Sunday's presidential run-off.

"Once again, congratulations to president Lula da Silva and the people of Brazil, because Brazil gave a lesson that neither extremisms nor fanaticisms of any kind prevail. It is a healthy society that has sent a message to the world and above all to the peoples of our Latin America and the Caribbean and this region," she affirmed.

Thousands of Venezuelans gathered in Caracas on Sunday to welcome opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who returned home after nearly 10 months abroad.

Machado greeted supporters from a vehicle travelling along the Valle-Coche highway, waving a Venezuelan flag, shaking hands and blowing kisses to the crowds.

People waved national flags, sounded vuvuzelas and recorded her arrival on their mobile phones.

Some supporters had gathered in the Santa Monica area more than five hours before her arrival. Others chanted 'Freedom' and 'Out with Delcy', while several carried signs reading 'Welcome home! Leader'.

The opposition leader left Venezuela in December 2025 after spending months in hiding. She subsequently travelled to Norway following her Nobel Peace Prize win.

According to her team, Machado had made seven unsuccessful attempts to return to Venezuela before arriving on Sunday.

Her return has also renewed demands for presidential elections, with supporters calling for a new vote.

"What we want here are presidential elections , here we want a free and prosperous country, and the only one who can give us that is named María Corina Machado," supporter Jack Azuaje said.

Another supporter, Pedro Paredes, expressed hope that Machado's return would strengthen the opposition's campaign for political change.

"Hand in hand with her, who has fervently driven this feeling that all we Venezuelans share to conquer true democracy and finally end this regime that has caused so much harm to us Venezuelans," he added.

Machado and her political allies are pushing for presidential elections by July 2027, hoping she will be able to contest after being barred from participating in the disputed 2024 vote.

Her opposition movement is also preparing a voter registration campaign that will include Venezuelans living abroad.

Venezuela has been governed by interim President Delcy Rodriguez since US forces captured former President Nicolas Maduro in January 2026.

Although the interim authorities have indicated that elections will take place, they have not announced a date.

Rodriguez maintains that Venezuelans should determine when the country is ready to hold elections.

Washington, meanwhile, has prioritised economic stabilisation and institutional reforms before a new presidential vote.

Participants also highlighted Venezuela’s economic hardship and failing public services, including problems with healthcare and transport and the low value of pensions. Meanwhile, interim President Delcy Rodríguez’s government and the administration of US President Donald Trump are holding talks on the political transition and future elections, although no date has been set.

Demonstrators carrying Venezuelan flags and banners marched through the capital, calling for a clear timetable for a new presidential election and the return of opposition leader María Corina Machado from exile.

The protest was organised by Vente Venezuela, Machado's political party, ahead of a new round of US-backed talks scheduled to begin on August 1 between Venezuela's interim government and a group of former opposition lawmakers.

Vente Venezuela spokesperson Henry Alviarez said the opposition would closely monitor the negotiations.

"People are going to be watching the things he does. Mr Jorge Rodriguez should not think that he is going to do whatever he wants and that he is going to use this space to once again mock the Venezuelan people. No, Mr Jorge," he said.

The talks are expected to bring together Jorge Rodriguez, president of the Chavista-controlled National Assembly, and Dinorah Figuera.

The opposition demonstration coincided with celebrations organised by the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela to mark what would have been the 72nd birthday of former president Hugo Chávez.

Calls for a new presidential election have intensified since the constitutional deadline for Delcy Rodríguez's temporary presidency expired.

Rodríguez assumed office after US forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a military operation in Caracas on January 3.

Maduro is currently being held in New York , where he is awaiting trial on federal drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges.

Speaking on his nationally televised programme, Con el mazo dando , Cabello said Machado had never planned to return to Venezuela and claimed she had travelled abroad for personal reasons.

"And it's all a show. She [Maria Corina Machado] was not coming here. She was going to her son's wedding. All of that was a scandal [...] Now she is in Panama, my little vinyl antennas informed me. They have her tucked away there in Panama because she wants to come to Venezuela," he said.

Cabello also dismissed reports that Venezuelan airspace had been closed to stop Machado from returning.

He said Simon Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía was undergoing repairs after sustaining damage during the earthquakes, but stressed that flights were continuing through other airports. He described claims of an air blockade as part of an opposition "narrative."

"She said she was coming to Venezuela to save Venezuelans. Let's see how many people she can save! They are miserable people who want to play with other people's pain. Miserable people," Cabello added.

Machado has not publicly responded to Cabello's remarks. His claims about her travel plans have not been independently confirmed.