MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US-backed opposition figure Figuera returns to Venezuela to negotiate a 'credible' electoral body

Opposition figure Dinorah Figuera, president of the National Assembly elected in 2015 and exiled in Spain for nearly eight years, returned to Venezuela on Thursday at the invitation of the US State Department to negotiate a “credible” electoral authority with Delcy Rodríguez's interim government. The return is part of Washington's plan for a democratic transition in the country.

On her arrival at Maiquetía airport, Figuera said: ”I am taking up an invitation from the State Department (...) on the terms of having a credible National Electoral Council,“ where ”Venezuelans' vote can be freely expressed.“ Hours later, the National Assembly reported that a first meeting was held between Figuera —as a representative of the opposition deputies elected in 2015— and the head of Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, designated for political dialogue by the interim president. According to a statement, the two agreed to set up a ”parity technical and political table“ with an agenda of concrete milestones and timelines. Figuera also plans to meet the US chargé d'affaires, John Barrett.

The former lawmaker distanced herself from opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is separately promoting the ”Panama Agreement“ to negotiate a transition. Figuera said she has no ”political aspiration“ and drew a distinction between ”the institutional“ and ”the political.“ The opposition led by Machado claims the victory of its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, in the 2024 presidential election, in which Maduro proclaimed himself president amid fraud allegations.

Figuera's return is part of the so-called ”third phase“ of Donald Trump's government plan for Venezuela, focused on holding free elections. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in early June that the country needs ”a new electoral committee“ to hold elections with guarantees. The State Department considers the National Assembly elected in 2015, which Figuera presided over, to be the country's last legitimate institution, so she could endorse the formation of a new National Electoral Council; the US Embassy welcomed the meeting as a ”roadmap” for dialogue.

Venezuela has been governed on an interim basis by Delcy Rodríguez since January 3, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a US operation. Figuera, a 65-year-old doctor, had gone into exile in Spain after denouncing threats and harassment over her role as spokeswoman in the case of the prison death of her Primero Justicia party colleague Fernando Albán in 2018. She faced arrest orders from the chavista authorities, which her Washington-backed return neutralizes.