A Turning Point for Venezuela: Government and Opposition Open Historic Talks Amid US Involvement

Caracas, Venezuela – Nieves Jose Benitez earns just $0.17 a month as a high-school teacher in Venezuela's Delta Amacuro state. It’s not enough to cover a single bus fare to work. At 72, he had hoped to retire by now. But there are few qualified teachers left where he lives. Delta Amacuro, on the eastern border with Guyana, is one of Venezuela’s most remote regions. Many experienced professionals have migrated away. Benitez relies on odd jobs or hunting animals to put food on the table, as well as money sent from relatives abroad. But this week, he was in the country’s capital, Caracas, to demand change.

Along with dozens of other workers and pensioners, he marched towards the Gran Melia, a towering five-star hotel encircled by riot police where a historic meeting was under way. For six days, Venezuela's government held an inaugural round of talks with the country's opposition to discuss reforms. The meeting concluded on Wednesday. It was the first time the two sides had met since the United States abducted and imprisoned former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who had led a crackdown on dissident voices.

Benitez was optimistic about the outcome. He hopes the two sides can implement measures to increase salaries and eventually elect a new government. "There's nothing better than dialogue. We have to find solutions," he said. "But we also have to be constantly vigilant. Because the government wants to do whatever it pleases. That's why we're out in the streets, because we want solutions now and we want change."

The talks concluded with two main areas of agreement. The first was that both sides would seek a way to unlock Venezuelan assets frozen abroad, to help fund the country's recovery after the June 24 earthquakes. The second was more politically sensitive. The two sides agreed to overhaul the country's judiciary, which has long been closely aligned with Venezuela's socialist government. For Carmen Beatriz Fernandez, a Venezuelan political analyst, the scale of the proposed judicial changes was unexpected.

The Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ), the country's highest court, was among the judicial bodies facing drastic reform. The agreement would see all of the court’s magistrates replaced, and an independent body would be charged with assessing candidates for new positions. The independence of the TSJ has long fallen under scrutiny. In 2024, for instance, the court backed Maduro's claims to a third straight victory in Venezuela's presidential elections, despite evidence showing an opposition win.

While this week's meeting was the first since Maduro's January 3 abduction, there have been past attempts to heal the rift between Venezuela's government and its opposition parties. Since the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez took office as president in 1999, Venezuela has been led by members of his "chavista" movement, including Maduro, his hand-picked successor. But over the following decades, the chavista government has faced accusations that it consolidated power while violently suppressing dissenting voices.

At the talks, the government delegation was led by National Assembly president Jorge Rodriguez, the president's brother. Dinorah Figuera, the head of the 2015 National Assembly, represented the opposition. Notably absent, however, was Maria Corina Machado, the opposition's most prominent leader. She won the last presidential primary for the opposition, before being barred from running in the 2024 election.

As the meeting wound to a close in Caracas, opposition members took to the capital's streets to push for a timetable for new elections and the release of political prisoners. Separately, some former prisoners met with Figuera, the opposition's representative, to advocate for dissidents who remain in detention. Americo de Grazia, a former member of the 2015 National Assembly, was among them. Meanwhile, human rights groups like Foro Penal estimate that at least 391 people continue to be held as political prisoners in Venezuela.

Among chavistas, there is also suspicion about the talks. Hugo Garcia, a member of the ruling political party, questioned why the US is playing such a large role in determining Venezuela's future. However, Wednesday's agreement is likely to be hailed as a strike against foreign interference, according to Fernandez, as both sides agreed to pursue the release of 31 tonnes of Venezuelan gold, worth roughly $4bn, held at the Bank of England.