Venezuela's interim government has announced it will initiate formal discussions with certain members of the opposition from 1 August 2026. The move comes six months after the former leader, Nicolás Maduro, was apprehended by US troops in Caracas and subsequently faced drug-trafficking charges in New York.
Currently, former Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez holds power, supported by the Trump administration. This has been a source of frustration for the opposition, who anticipated a change in government following Maduro's removal. The upcoming talks, announced almost simultaneously by both government and opposition figures, are aimed at establishing a 'route map towards democracy', according to an opposition statement.
Jorge Rodríguez, head of the government-controlled National Assembly and brother to interim president Delcy Rodríguez, cited the recent devastating twin earthquakes on 24 June as a key driver for the talks. The natural disaster, which struck northern Venezuela, has resulted in at least 4,734 confirmed fatalities, with the death toll continuing to rise. Jorge Rodríguez emphasised that 'only through unity can we move forward with reconstruction and maintain peace'.
The opposition group involved in the talks comprises former lawmakers elected to the National Assembly in 2015, the last time opposition parties secured a legislative majority. Subsequent National Assembly elections have either been boycotted by the opposition or widely deemed neither free nor fair. The opposition team will be led by Dinorah Figuera, who returned to Venezuela in June after nearly eight years in exile. Figuera stated her return was at the 'invitation from the [US] State Department' to advocate for the renewal of the National Electoral Council (CNE).
The CNE has faced criticism for being dominated by loyalists of the former Maduro government. It declared Maduro the winner of the 2024 presidential election despite independent electoral observers verifying an overwhelming victory for opposition candidate Edmundo González. The opposition group's statement, released on Tuesday, highlighted that the primary objectives of the talks would be to strengthen democratic institutions, reform the electoral system, and guarantee political participation. For years, opposition politicians and critics of the Maduro government have faced persecution, with many jailed or forced into exile. Despite some releases post-Maduro's ouster, 372 political prisoners remain imprisoned, according to the prisoners' rights group Foro Penal.