Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says she will not participate in US-backed talks scheduled for August with the “de facto government” led by Delcy Rodriguez. In a statement released Sunday, Machado—a Nobel Peace Prize laureate—co-signed with Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who ran for president in Venezuela’s 2024 elections, said the opposition will not take part in the “design, development and operation” of the talks.
Both reports describe the talks as US-backed and framed by the Rodriguez side as part of a broader effort to “strengthen democracy.” In mid-July, the Rodriguez interim government and a group of former opposition members of parliament from Venezuela’s 2015–2020 term announced a work plan related to this process. The latest statements indicate Machado’s opposition position is to refuse involvement in the planning and execution of the discussions, rather than only abstain from attending specific sessions.
The reports do not provide details on the agenda of the August talks or any alternative steps the opposition may take.
