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.
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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
