Venezuela: Rival Rallies as Rodríguez Addresses UN and Opposition Presses for Machado's Return

Government supporters took to the streets of Caracas on Wednesday to back acting President Delcy Rodríguez as she prepared to speak at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello joined the march, walking with the crowd. He pointed to Rodríguez's engagements on the international stage, saying her meetings with world leaders and international organisations were giving the government a platform to present its position.

"There it is our sister Delcy, having meetings with more than 50 heads of state, with different organizations of the world to bring our truth, we are being heard," Cabello said. He contrasted the current moment with the past, when, he said, the world heard only versions offered by the government's opponents.

At the same time, opposition activists from Venezuelan universities held a smaller gathering near the airport in La Guaira, carrying banners calling for the return of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado. One banner read, "Maria we are waiting for you."

Student leader Rosa Cucunuba said that while Rodríguez was at the UN gathering, Venezuelans at home continued to face persecution and threats. She said Machado would enter the country regardless of the obstacles placed before her, describing her as the leader of the whole country, and called for a date to be set for presidential elections.

Machado's team said she made three unsuccessful attempts to return to Venezuela on Tuesday. She left the country in December after months in hiding and has pledged to come back from exile to run for president.

Rodríguez, who served as vice president under Nicolás Maduro, assumed power after U.S. forces captured Maduro during a military raid in January.