Venezuelans are watching the start of a round of U.S.-backed talks between the ruling party and the opposition on Saturday with cautious optimism after several previous negotiations failed to bring reconciliation. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
The latest talks follow the January capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces, and will focus on strengthening democracy and restoring rights after nearly three decades of socialist rule.
The talks will be led by members of Venezuela’s overwhelmingly pro-government National Assembly and a group of former opposition lawmakers who previously attempted to oust Maduro. U.S. officials say they will have a facilitating role.
“I hope these people (the government) finally understand that we won’t move forward with the usual arbitrary actions; they must respect agreements,” said Soraida Martínez, a 58-year-old homemaker. “Both sides need to make concessions for the good of the country.”
Saturday’s meeting comes nearly seven weeks after a gathering in Caracas between National Assembly chief Jorge Rodríguez — the brother of Acting President Delcy Rodríguez — and former lawmaker Dinorah Figuera, who briefly returned to Venezuela after nearly eight years in exile.
In 2023, Figuera was selected to represent opposition lawmakers from the 2015 National Assembly, which was widely regarded as Venezuela’s last democratically elected institution. She has said the priority is to develop an institutional agenda that transcends the interests of Venezuela’s political groups, as proposed by the Trump administration.
After U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife, the Trump administration proposed a three-phase plan for Venezuela comprising stabilization, recovery and democratic transition.
On Friday, the U.S. State Department said Washington had no intention of dictating how Venezuela’s election would be run.