CARACAS — This August 12, the first stage of the negotiation table carried out by the ruling party and the opposition in Venezuela culminated, which was officially installed on August 6, after a failed attempt on August 1.
The agreements were announced to the country by both Jorge Rodríguez, president of Parliament and brother of the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, and Dinorah Figuera, on the opposition side.
What was agreed was: attention to those affected by the earthquakes of June 24 and to this end, efforts will be made for the United Kingdom to return to Venezuela some 31 tons of gold, whose value is estimated at $ 4,000 million and, on the other hand, the total renovation of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ).
Venezuelans receive the agreements between positive expectations and distrust given that other spaces for dialogue with the same actors turned out to be a failure, due to the regime’s failure to comply with what was agreed.
Once this first stage has been overcome, different interpretations have emerged, both of acceptance of what was agreed and with a positive outlook and others that, on the contrary, demonstrate dissatisfaction.
What makes some analysts and politicians optimistic about this negotiating table?
The answer to the question lies in the tutelage of the United States, which has welcomed the fact that both Chavismo and the opposition finally sit at the same table to negotiate the re-institutionalization of Venezuela.
Seven months have passed since the United States captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and transferred them to a prison in New York, where they are accused of several crimes, including drug trafficking. The couple’s trial is scheduled to begin in June 2027.
Coming?
For analysts and politicians on the positive spectrum, we are already one step away from the long-awaited political transition in the South American country, thanks to the efforts of the United States.
What is expected as a conclusion of this first stage:
- Recovery of Venezuela’s assets abroad and with the guarantee of external supervision that the resources will not be misappropriated.
- Reform of the Law of the Supreme Court of Justice and with this, in the long run there will be an independent Judicial power.
- A new integration of the Judicial Nominations Committee, which will not only obey the ruling party, but will also have representatives of the opposition and Venezuelan civil society.
- Replacement of all the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice.
These agreements make some analysts affirm that the National Assembly chaired by Jorge Rodríguez will be without competence to choose the members of the Judicial Branch and intervene in the designation of the other powers of the State, including the National Electoral Council (CNE).
And, the legislative function for these vitally important issues will remain in the hands of the negotiating table.
Time will tell if the agreements were fulfilled or not. Figuera estimates that by the end of the year the TSJ issue and the CNE issue will be resolved.
It is understood that it is the integration of both organizations, but it has not really been detailed how far it will go from the work that, according to Figuera, begins this month of August.
This August 15, Parliament takes its constitutional recess until September 15, which can be interrupted if extraordinary sessions are called.
Surely, this time will be used by the negotiating table to advance the legislative work regarding the law reforms necessary for both a new TSJ and a CNE to be established in Venezuela.
If there is a balanced integration of the TSJ, analysts consider that it will be the most important democratic advance of the last 27 years in Venezuela.
If this new institutional face is configured in the South American country, the question arises: is it the end of Chavismo? Or will it have the capacity for metamorphosis to play the role of opposition in Venezuela?
