A faction of Venezuela’s opposition is scheduled to begin U.S.-backed negotiations with the interim government Saturday, aimed at strengthening Venezuela’s democracy and laying the groundwork for eventual elections. But Maria Corina Machado, the country’s most popular opposition figure, will not be a part of the talks. Jorge Rodríguez, brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, will lead the government’s delegation, while Dinorah Figuera, head of the opposition-dominated cohort of lawmakers that were elected in 2015, will represent the opposition.
Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace laureate, has said she will not stand in the way of “real progress” and will evaluate the talks based on whether they restore democratic institutions, release political prisoners and lead to elections.
If presidential elections were held today, “Rodriguez would be routed by Machado,” Mark Feierstein and Mary Speck wrote in a WPR briefing in February. Her exclusion from this weekend’s talks has fueled frustration among many Venezuelans. But as one person familiar with the negotiations told Reuters, Machado may stand to benefit from the talks even without her presence. Their success could pave the way for her to become Venezuela’s first female president, while if they go poorly, they will only have demonstrated that her participation was needed.
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