Venezuela's Government and Opposition Hold U.S.-Backed Talks in Caracas

Overview

• Dinorah Figuera returned to Caracas and met Jorge Rodríguez on Thursday, June 18 to begin exploratory talks aimed at negotiating a democratic transition.
• The U.S. State Department publicly welcomed the meeting and said the agenda focuses on rebuilding democratic institutions, strengthening the National Electoral Council (CNE), restoring political guarantees, and protecting civil liberties.
• Venezuelan officials described the encounter as an initial, exploratory platform to create a plan to strengthen democracy and consolidate peace, but they released no concrete agreements, timetables, or verification measures.
• Figuera has publicly distanced herself from María Corina Machado's Panama manifesto, a move that shifts opposition dynamics and has produced competing negotiation tracks within the anti-Chavista camp.
• Reporting notes that these talks follow unverified claims of Nicolás Maduro’s capture and Delcy Rodríguez’s interim presidency, events that complicate questions of legitimacy and the ability to secure a verifiable electoral roadmap.