The Daily Journal — Venezuela’s current National Assembly and Dinorah Figuera, president of the 2015 National Assembly, will take part in a new round of political negotiations.
Figuera returned to Venezuela on June 18 after spending eight years in exile. She accepted an invitation from the U.S. Department of State to discuss Venezuela’s political transition.
Following her return, the former lawmaker and National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez created a bipartisan political working group to strengthen democracy, consolidate peace and pursue a shared future.
The initiative came three weeks after the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), proposed political negotiations with the current government under U.S. facilitation to restore democracy in Venezuela.
Who will participate?
The parties have not yet disclosed the members of their delegations. According to the political movement Unión y Cambio, former lawmakers from the 2015 National Assembly are expected to accompany Figuera, including Jorge Millán, Marco Aurelio Quiñones and Juan Miguel Matheus.
On the government’s side, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez will head the delegation. Authorities have not yet identified the remaining members.
According to the United States, the agenda includes rebuilding democratic institutions, strengthening the National Electoral Council (CNE), restoring guarantees for political participation and protecting the civil liberties needed for an open political debate.
Opposition leaders stated in a communiqué that they will assess the process based on concrete and verifiable results. They identified the recovery of democratic institutions, the release of all political prisoners, genuine guarantees for every political actor without exclusions and full respect for the popular will as their main benchmarks.
Meanwhile, United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) Secretary-General Diosdado Cabello said the government will seek the lifting of sanctions imposed on the country.
The United States has described the dialogue as a crucial step toward political reconciliation and Venezuela’s recovery following the devastation caused by the recent earthquakes.
Primero Justicia, Voluntad Popular—both members of the PUD—and Un Nuevo Tiempo have expressed support for the initiative.
The PUD’s leadership has not yet announced an official position. However, other member parties, including Acción Democrática, have criticized the appointment of Figuera to lead the process.
During Nicolás Maduro’s administration, Venezuela held about eight rounds of political talks with the support of Norway, the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the Catholic Church, Spain, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, Nicaragua and Paraguay, among others.
The most recent round took place in Barbados in October 2023, where the parties established the framework for the 2024 presidential election, including a mechanism to lift political disqualifications.
Source: EFE
