Dialogue between Maduro’s regime and Venezuelan opposition to begin next week in Mexico

Representatives of the Nicolás Maduro regime and the Venezuelan opposition are expected to meet next week in Mexico City to begin negotiations aimed at ending a political confrontation ahead of the regional elections in November., according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The leader of the Chavista National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, and the governor of the state of Miranda, Hector Rodríguez, will negotiate on behalf of the dictator Nicolás Maduro, while the opposition will send the former lawmaker and former mayor of Baruta, Gerardo Blyde, accompanied by a representative from each of the major partiessaid those who asked not to be identified because the case was not made public. Politicians are expected to meet on August 13 with the intention of signing a memorandum of understanding setting a framework for more detailed talks in September that would lead to agreements on the terms and conditions of the vote later this year.

Norway, which mediated the negotiations in 2019, is reportedly overseeing the talks alongside the Russian and French delegations., who will help negotiate for Maduro and the opposition led by Juan Guaidó, respectively, three people said. Argentina and the Netherlands have also been invited, they said.

The aim is to create a series of conditions for all political forces to participate in the governor and mayor elections at the national level on November 21 and thus end a five-year standoff in which the main opposition parties have rejected previous elections. lack of warranty. The opposition’s participation is seen as a key test for Maduro as he tries to convince the United States to ease economic sanctions by lifting bans on politicians and parties..

Rodríguez and Blyde declined to comment on prospects for visiting Mexico next week or details of the talks. Mexico was selected because it is considered a neutral location to host the event. However, a spokesperson for the Mexican Foreign Ministry denied having any information about it.

Three previous attempts to reach an electoral deal have failed, the most recent in Norway and Barbados in 2019. But Maduro said he was open to further discussions. Last month, the president said he was ready to “sit on a realistic, objective and genuinely Venezuelan agenda to reach partial peace agreements, so that all criminal sanctions are lifted.”

It is not known whether former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Stalin González, a close ally of former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, will participate in the dialogue. The Capriles-led bloc insists that before entering negotiations, the opposition must decide whether or not to register candidates. The registration period runs from August 9 to 29.

Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuelan analyst at the Washington Bureau for Latin America, said this negotiation may differ from previous rounds because it is understood in Washington and Caracas that there won’t be an overnight solution, but a long-term transition.

“The idea that maximum pressure leads by itself, and without negotiation, to a breakthrough has been completely discredited,” he said. “It’s very positive and shows the possibility of building partial and progressive agreements.”

Guaidó said negotiations should focus on an electoral timetable that includes future presidential and legislative votes., and not just that of mayors and governors this year.

(With information from Bloomberg)

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