Third round of transition talks begins in Venezuela — Taipei Times

In Caracas, Venezuela’s interim government and opposition representatives have begun a third round of talks on the country’s democratic transition. This was reported by a senior US State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The US-backed talks are expected to continue until the end of next week, Taipei Times reports.

Elections and party participation

According to the State Department representative, the new round focuses on the political process, elections, the participation of various political parties, and other related issues.

Talks on the transition from the rule of former President Nicolás Maduro began in August. Washington encouraged Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, who was previously Maduro’s vice president, to hold a dialogue with an opposition delegation led by Dinorah Figuera.

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Changes after previous rounds

Figuera led the political bloc that won a majority in Venezuela’s 2015 National Assembly elections. It was the last parliament elected in a vote widely recognized by the international community. Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who is in exile, was excluded from the talks.

The State Department representative said that the first two rounds had produced concrete progress, including on reforms to ensure the independence of the supreme court, access to websites, and the review of repressive laws. According to him, the current talks are intended to continue building the institutional foundation needed for elections and a democratic transition.

After Rodríguez came to power, she released hundreds of political prisoners and closed the El Helicoide detention center, where, according to human rights groups, prisoners were tortured. Her government also announced plans to reform the judicial system and unblocked some news websites that had been censored for years.