Venezuela political negotiations exclude Nicolás Maduro

Negotiations regarding the political future of Venezuela between the interim government led by Delcy Rodríguez and the 2015 National Assembly have reportedly excluded the legal status of former president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

According to reports from the Financial Times, five sessions of talks focused on institutional reforms, national recovery, and new presidential elections. During these meetings, the issue of Maduro and Flores—who are currently detained in the United States facing narcotics-related charges—was not raised.

This shift marks a departure from previous stances held by the interim leadership. While Delcy Rodríguez previously described their capture by U.S. forces as a “vil agresión” and Jorge Rodríguez had vowed to secure their release, participants in the recent talks noted that the couple was effectively “apagados da história” (erased from history) and “simplemente no existen en la mesa” (simply do not exist at the table) during the discussions.