Maduro to resume talks with opposition Friday

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government will resume talks with the opposition Friday after more than a year in a bid to resolve a political crisis that has gripped the country since a contested 2018 election.

Negotiations between the two sides last took place in October 2021 in Mexico, and international efforts have mounted in recent months to get the talks back on track. The opposition is seeking free and fair presidential elections, next due in 2024, while Caracas wants the international community to recognize Maduro as the rightful president and lift sanctions.

“Dialogue between Maduro’s government and the Venezuelan opposition will resume on Nov 2526,” Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro wrote on Twitter.

He did not specify where the talks would take place, however, a source close to the negotiations told AFP that delegations would meet in Mexico City on Friday.

Venezuela was already facing a severe economic crisis and a government crackdown on protests when a contested presidential election in 2018 plunged it into a political impasse.

Maduro declared himself the victor of the poll, which was widely seen as fraudulent, prompting massive protests.

Meanwhile, almost 60 countries, including the United States, recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s acting president.

The US and the European Union imposed painful sanctions on Venezuela, worsening an economy that has seen roaring inflation in recent years, prompting millions to flee the country.

After two prior negotiation efforts failed, the most recent round of talks between the government and opposition started in August 2021 in Mexico.

However, Maduro suspended the negotiations two months later in retaliation for the extradition to the United States by Cape Verde of Alex Saab, a Colombian national accused of acting as a money launderer for the Venezuelan socialist leader.—