Venezuela is set to begin US-backed political transition talks today in Caracas, despite significant skepticism from opposition factions and distrust within leftist groups. The negotiations aim to address the country’s ongoing crisis by focusing on rebuilding democratic institutions, enhancing electoral processes, and securing political participation, according to the US State Department.
The talks come amid a turbulent period for Venezuela, which has been in political flux since US forces deposed former President Nicolas Maduro in January. Since then, interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president, has overseen the government under close scrutiny from Washington. The nation is still grappling with the aftermath of two powerful earthquakes in late June that claimed over 5,500 lives and caused widespread destruction.
The political environment remains deeply polarized. Maduro’s last election victory in 2024, which opposition forces dispute, fuelled tensions. The opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia contests the official results, and his ally Maria Corina Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent opposition figure, has been notably absent from the transition talks. Machado, currently in exile in Panama, has declined to participate and was not invited. She has signaled intentions to return to Venezuela but has yet to do so. Her decision to present her Nobel Prize to former US President Donald Trump has sparked debate, with some suggesting that Washington has blocked her return—a claim denied by the former administration. Trump has publicly expressed approval of Rodriguez’s interim government, reflecting his administration’s stance on Venezuela.
The talks are expected to be co-led by Jorge Rodriguez, head of the National Assembly and Delcy Rodriguez’s brother, and Dinorah Figueria, an opposition leader representing the faction that won a parliamentary majority in 2015. Although Figueria’s opposition bloc had US backing, it was rejected by Maduro’s government. Ahead of the negotiations, Figueria and Jorge Rodriguez held a public meeting, marking a rare moment of engagement between the rival factions prior to the earthquakes.
Despite these developments, resistance remains strong within Venezuela’s socialist camp, known as Chavistas, who reject what they perceive as a foreign-imposed process. Socialist lawmaker Franciscos Arias criticized the talks as being “approved only by those who run the US government,” and emphasized the need for any agreement to be subjected to a national referendum.
Political analyst Pedro Benitez of the Central University of Venezuela characterized the current government as lacking legitimacy, calling it “not the result of the free will of Venezuelans, but of election fraud.” He indicated that Washington’s push for dialogue aims to establish “some basic agreements that will allow the country to reinstitutionalize itself.”
Details such as the full agenda, format, and other logistical aspects of the talks remain undisclosed as the process gets underway in Caracas. Both sides have mobilized protests ahead of the discussions, reflecting the deep divisions that continue to challenge efforts toward a political resolution in Venezuela.