Venezuela camps protest before transition talks

Rival Venezuelan political groups marched through Caracas on Tuesday ahead of transition talks due to start Saturday, with supporters of Maria Corina Machado demanding elections and leftist protesters denouncing US influence over the interim government’s participation.

Earlier this month, the interim government and a group of former opposition lawmakers announced a United States-backed work plan for “strengthening democracy”. The talks are to be chaired by parliamentary chief Jorge Rodriguez, the brother of interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, and opposition figure Dinorah Figuera.

Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and exiled opposition leader, has ruled out attending. Around 300 of her supporters demanded that elections be held as soon as possible.

“If we want a transition, we have to go to an election,” Machado’s party spokesperson Henry Alviarez said. “When they set the election date, that’s when the transition begins.”

Other protesters voiced skepticism about the talks. Lawyer Jose Fuenmayor said: “We no longer believe in dialogue, we believe in action.”

Supporters of late leftist leader Hugo Chavez, the predecessor and mentor of Nicolas Maduro, said Delcy Rodriguez was negotiating “with a gun to her head”. Retiree Carmen Montes said at the downtown rally that the pressure on Rodriguez “must not be ignored”.

Public servant Noel Urbina said there was “very strong unease” among Chavistas after what he called the US “invasion” of Venezuela. He said the January 3 operation had killed around 100 people.