Venezuela’s government and former opposition deputies of the dissolved 2015-2020 National Assembly began a new round of national dialogue on Thursday in Caracas, according to telesurenglish.net.
The opening plenary session marked the formal installation of the talks, where both sides agreed on the negotiation methodology, work cycles and the agenda that will guide the process.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, who coordinates the dialogue for the Executive, announced the installation on his Telegram account.
The first cycle of conversations was installed with participants agreeing on methodology, work cycles and the agenda of topics, according to a statement released by Rodríguez.
The delegations will remain in permanent session until Wednesday, August 12, when the continuity of the plenary will be defined, ‘taking into consideration the priority that this process has for the well-being of Venezuelans,’ he indicated.
The statement also highlights the parties’ commitment to mutual recognition and respect, political equality and equal treatment at the negotiating table.
The ruling party delegation is presided over by Rodríguez, while Dinorah Figuera leads a sector of the opposition.
The government delegation includes Ana María San Juan, Jorge Arreaza, América Pérez, Genesis Garvett and Pedro Infante, in addition to Rodríguez as coordinator.
For its part, the opposition delegation is composed of a technical political commission presided over by Figuera and integrated by Marco Aurelio Quiñones, Ramón López, Jorge Millán, Juan Miguel Matheus and Sergio Vergara, as well as a support commission with the participation of Macario González, Desiree Barboza, Julio César Moreno and Elimar Díaz.
The political dialogue process will be ‘inclusive and effective’ for the benefit of the country and Venezuelans, as well as to join efforts in the care of victims of the double seismic event of last June 24.
Figuera and Rodríguez held a first working meeting in Caracas last June 18, during which a ‘paritarian technical political table’ was designated.
That instance accounts for an agenda with specific milestones and timelines that contribute to strengthening democracy, consolidating peace and seeking a future of well-being and prosperity for Venezuelans, according to the document released at that time.
The inclusion of earthquake victims’ assistance as a central axis of the talks reflects the urgency generated by the seismic doublet that affected the country in late June.
The dialogue seeks to articulate state capacities and social organizations in the response to the emergency, while advancing in the normalization of political relations between actors that have historically maintained divergent positions.
The establishment of verifiable goals and concrete schedules suggests an intention to move beyond declarations toward operational agreements that can be measured by society.
The Venezuelan government has promoted various dialogue initiatives in recent years, both with internal actors and with international institutions, framed in its policy of pacification and institutional strengthening.
In this context, the new round of talks with the former parliamentary opposition is presented as an effort to broaden the consensus base around the country’s challenges, including reconstruction, economic recovery and attention to populations affected by natural disasters.
The technical political table will serve as a follow-up mechanism for the milestones established, while the parties reserved the possibility of incorporating new topics as the conversations progress.
For now, the installation of the dialogue table in Caracas marks the formal beginning of a process that both sectors describe as essential for the future of the Bolivarian nation.