Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado holds a 33-point advantage over acting President Delcy Rodríguez in a new presidential preference survey, even as she remains excluded from negotiations over the country’s political transition.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado received 52% support in a new presidential voting survey, compared with 19% for acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to polling released Wednesday, October 14, as U.S.-backed negotiations resumed over Venezuela’s political future.
The AtlasIntel survey conducted for Bloomberg News showed Machado holding a 33-percentage-point advantage in a hypothetical presidential contest, reflecting public dissatisfaction with the interim government and continuing demands for democratic elections.
Businessman Lorenzo Mendoza, who leads Venezuelan food and beverage company Empresas Polar, received 8% support despite having announced no plans to seek the presidency.
The findings emerged as representatives of Rodríguez’s interim administration and an opposition delegation prepared for another round of negotiations Wednesday in Caracas.
The discussions, supported by Washington, are intended to establish a framework for restoring democratic institutions following the removal of former President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.
Machado, one of Venezuela’s most prominent opposition figures and recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, remains outside the negotiations despite her strong polling numbers.
According to Bloomberg’s reporting on the survey, the two previous negotiating rounds focused primarily on rebuilding the judiciary, recovering Venezuelan assets held abroad and easing restrictions on independent news websites.
The latest discussions are expected to place greater emphasis on establishing a timetable for national elections.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that the negotiations “need to end in free and democratic elections,” emphasizing Washington’s desire for Venezuela to return to democratic governance “as quickly as possible.”
Dinorah Figuera, who leads the opposition delegation participating in the talks, said negotiators would seek to establish “a clear path and road map toward holding elections.”
Rodríguez has promised that Venezuelans will eventually return to the polls but has not announced a date or detailed electoral timetable.
The survey also revealed growing dissatisfaction with her administration amid persistent economic hardship and widespread electricity shortages.
Rodríguez’s disapproval rating increased to 65%, compared with 61% in the previous month’s survey.
Approximately 64% of respondents described her government’s performance as bad or very bad, an increase of nearly six percentage points.
The findings indicate continued public frustration as Venezuelans contend with unreliable electricity supplies, economic uncertainty and the challenges of rebuilding institutions after years of political instability.
Machado’s public standing moved in the opposite direction.
The survey found that 61% of respondents held a favorable opinion of the opposition leader, an eight-percentage-point increase from the previous poll.
Machado left Venezuela nearly a year ago to receive her Nobel Peace Prize and currently resides in Panama. She has repeatedly expressed her intention to return but says she has been prevented from doing so.
Her exclusion from the negotiations has raised questions about whether the political transition process adequately represents the country’s opposition supporters.
Mendoza’s appearance among the leading presidential preferences also attracted attention because he has remained outside formal electoral politics.
The businessman recently introduced an economic development initiative intended to support the creation of 1,000 businesses over 15 years, emphasizing entrepreneurship and private investment.
Despite his showing in the survey, Mendoza has not indicated that he intends to become a presidential candidate.
The AtlasIntel LatAm Pulse poll surveyed 2,010 Venezuelan adults online between October 2 and October 7 and reported a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
Because no presidential election has been scheduled, the results measure current political preferences rather than support in a formally established contest.
The survey also cannot determine whether Machado or other prospective candidates would ultimately be permitted to participate in an election, or what electoral rules would apply.
The political negotiations are unfolding alongside efforts by Washington and Caracas to rebuild economic relations, particularly in Venezuela’s energy sector.
On Wednesday, the United States lifted sanctions against National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, the acting president’s brother, as the two countries continued discussions over economic reforms and oil production.
The latest polling highlights a significant divide between the composition of the current negotiations and the political preferences expressed by surveyed Venezuelans.
For now, the central questions remain when elections will be held, who will be allowed to participate and whether the negotiating parties can establish conditions for a credible democratic transition.
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