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.