Venezuelan government and opposition begin joint work to strengthen democracy

Venezuela's interim government and select opposition members will commence joint work in August, aiming to bolster democracy seven months after the U.S.-backed military operation led to the downfall of Nicolás Maduro.

National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez announced Tuesday that a "joint working paper" would begin with former members of the 2015-2020 National Assembly. This initiative follows a brief visit to Caracas by exiled opposition leader Dinorah Figuera, who met with Rodríguez and other opposition figures.

Figuera, who leads a commission representing the former opposition-controlled legislature recognized by Washington, stated her commitment to advancing a technical and political roadmap to "consolidate the path toward the recovery of democracy in Venezuela."

The agenda will focus on strengthening democratic institutions, the electoral system, and restoring guarantees for political participation. Notably, opposition leader María Corina Machado, who claimed victory in the 2024 elections won by Maduro amid fraud allegations, has not yet commented on these developments. Following Maduro's capture and imprisonment in New York on drug trafficking charges, both Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia have called for new presidential elections.