Venezuela to launch US‑backed political transition talks in August

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that formal negotiations between Venezuela’s 2015 National Assembly – the last democratically elected legislature that the United States recognises – and the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez will begin in the first week of August. Rubio said Washington will be “very involved,” noting that the United States has already provided more than $180 million in humanitarian assistance after the deadly June 24 double earthquakes and is working to secure additional international financing for reconstruction.

Opposition leader Dinorah Figuera, who returned from exile to head the Assembly, said the dialogue will invite “all democratic sectors” and will aim at a “road‑map for reinstitutionalisation” and a peaceful electoral transition. The technical and political committee created for the talks is expected to address reforms of the National Electoral Council and the Supreme Court.

Former opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles warned that any negotiation that excludes opposition figure María Corina Machado would be doomed to fail, underscoring internal opposition concerns about the inclusivity of the process. The United States’ active role and the upcoming August schedule place the talks at the centre of Venezuela’s political future.