Government of Venezuela advances with negotiations with the opposition and the US.

The government of Venezuela assured this Thursday that it remains “in full development” political negotiation in the country, a process that the Executive of Nicolas Maduro carried forward in two ways, through a direct channel with USA and at a dialogue table with the main anti-Chavista bloc.

This was ratified by the President of Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, when speaking on behalf of the Government, one day after Caracas and Washington completed a prisoner exchange that confirmed the validity of this bilateral dialogue that promotes, almost always in secret, the agreements between Chavismo and the opposition facing the 2024 presidential elections.

The parliamentary leader, who leads the official delegation in the negotiations, insisted that the channels of dialogue remain open, especially after yesterday the US released the Colombian businessman Alex Saab, whom Venezuela considers a diplomat, which has reinforced the confidence of Chavismo in the negotiation.

Parallel negotiations

Rodríguez admitted this Thursday that, since last May, he has held conversations “in parallel” with officials from Joe Biden’s Administration and with members of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), the anti-Chavista coalition with which it agreed in October on a series of guarantees for next year’s elections.

“Direct conversations began, as equals, between the Government of the United States and that of Venezuela, with a number of points that have been reflected in concrete results”explained the deputy next to Saab – designated by the US Justice as Maduro’s front man -, incorporated today as an official negotiator.

Without going into details, he assured that, in these conversations, “Venezuela made its points very clearly” and received the demands of the counterpart, which has allowed a negotiation for which he especially thanked the Qatari Government, which today spoke of a “broader mediation” between the parties, still in development.

Regarding the dialogue with the PUD, Rodríguez said that they are talking “almost every day” with the members of this delegation that seeks, first of all, the lifting of the disqualification of its presidential candidate, María Corina Machado, so that she can compete in the elections in the second half of 2024.

“We are in the process of developing what is established in the Barbados Agreement (…), a general electoral political framework that will lead us to an electoral event”held.

He added that the Government, like the opposition, works for “free elections”, which means – he noted – the lifting of sanctions on Venezuela and freedom of transit for all candidates, after remembering that the US offers a reward of 15 million dollars for Maduro, for “narcoterrorism.”

Political expectations

On the opposition side, María Corina Machado celebrated, through a statement, the release of thirty people in Venezuela, whom she recognized as political prisoners, without failing to remember that “there is still a long way to go” in this matter, since human rights organizations estimate that more than 250 civilians and soldiers are still detained as “prisoners of conscience” in the country.

Regarding the release of Saab, whom Maduro received yesterday as a “hero”, considered that the Government has converted “a criminal who has exploited hunger” from town “in his favorite token of change in the negotiation.”

Machado also referred to the operation “complementary” established between Caracas and Washington, which allowed the release of 10 Americans who were imprisoned in Venezuela and who are now back in the North American country.

“Although we are not part of it, we have been involved to contribute to achieving the objective of free elections”said the former representative, who believes that the central goal is for the “the interests of Venezuelans are fully represented, above any other consideration,” in these spaces.

The anti-Chavista leader made these comments one day after the Supreme Court notified the receipt of her case, for which the Court asked the Comptroller’s Office to explain, within a period that expires this Friday, the disqualification imposed, within the review mechanism of these sanctions, also agreed in the negotiations.