Representatives of Delcy Rodríguez's Venezuelan government and an opposition delegation met in Caracas on Friday for a second day of transition dialogue. The meetings took place in a hotel with media access restricted to photographers, while neither side gave reasons for the limitations. Opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia are not participating in the talks.
The delegations agreed to work in this first cycle until August 12 after opening talks on Thursday at La Carlota air base in Caracas. Chief negotiator Jorge Rodríguez led the government group, while former deputy Dinorah Figuera led the opposition representatives. During the initial Thursday meeting, both sides established their methodology, work phases, and agenda.
Both sides released a joint statement on social media outlining core principles for the dialogue. The document committed negotiators to national sovereignty, good faith negotiation, and solutions that benefit Venezuela through political, peaceful, democratic, and constitutional means. It also established mutual recognition, political equality at the table, verifiable compliance with agreements, and the protection of human and political rights for all forces.
Delegation members and parliamentary background
The negotiating parties also pledged to keep the country informed about any progress made during the talks. Figuera arrived in Venezuela from Spain on Wednesday and maintains support for continuing the parliament elected in 2015, which was controlled by the opposition.
Figuera is joined at the negotiating table by former deputies Marco Aurelio Quiñones, Ramón López, Jorge Millán, Juan Miguel Matheus, Sergio Vergara, and Desiree Barboza. The government delegation includes Higher Education Minister Ana María Sanjuán, Parliament first vice president Pedro Infante, and deputies América Pérez, Génesis Garvett, and Jorge Arreaza, alongside Jorge Rodríguez, who is the brother of President Delcy Rodríguez.
United States support and transition framework
The talks carry backing from the United States government, which expressed satisfaction on Monday with the start of the dialogue. Washington stated that the process contributes significantly to its three-phase plan aimed at achieving a transition to democratic elections.
The American support follows the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on January 3. Both delegations are scheduled to continue their discussions through August 12 under the agreed framework.
