Venezuela’s Interim Administration Announces Talks with Opposition Amid Post‑Quake Reconstruction
The government, mounted by interim president Delcy Rodríguez, will begin formal talks with selected opposition members from 1 August, Reuters reports. The announcement follows the twin earthquakes that struck the north of Venezuela on 24 June, killing thousands and severely damaging infrastructure.
The talks are presented as a “route map toward democracy”, with opposition leaders seeking a restoration of democratic institutions, a fair electoral system and guarantees for political participation. Jorge Rodríguez, who heads the government‑controlled National Assembly, cited the devastation of the earthquakes as a reason for engaging with the opposition in peace‑building.
Dinorah Figuera, a former lawmaker elected in 2015, will lead the opposition delegation. Figuera returned to the country from exile after a stay of nearly eight years, arriving at the invitation of the U.S. State Department. She has raised the need to revive the National Electoral Council (CNE) and has noted that the CNE has been dominated by Maduro loyalists.
The opposition also highlighted the United States’ role in supporting the post‑earthquake relief and reconstruction efforts. With the U.S. lifting sanctions on Interims, officials have claimed that the U.S. sees Figuera as a suitable interlocutor, while prominent opposition leader María Corina Machado remains abroad, making her return unlikely.
Despite releasing political prisoners after the ouster of Maduro, 372 detainees remain in custody. The talks are seen by both sides as a pivotal moment to negotiate a transition back to democratic governance and rebuild society in the wake of the earthquakes.
