Venezuela’s government, opposition agree to conditions for upcoming elections

The partial agreement is expected to trigger some relief from economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. government on President Nicolas Maduro's administration.

Venezuela’s government and a faction of the opposition formally agreed Tuesday to work together to reach a series of basic conditions for the next presidential election, including scheduling the contest for the second half of 2024.

Their accord was part of a partial agreement that is expected to trigger some relief from economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. government on President Nicolas Maduro’s administration. It came just five days before the opposition holds a primary to pick its candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

The signing of the agreement demonstrated notable progress in a negotiation process marked by fits and starts over the past two years, but it also showed how far apart the two sides remain on what constitutes fair electoral conditions.

Two provisions of the agreement could affect the government’s tactic of banning some of its loudest critics from seeking office, including the frontrunner in Sunday’s presidential primary. Yet neither provision spells out a clear path for a candidate to overcome a ban.

The government’s representatives and the opposition’s delegates also agreed to “promote” with electoral authorities various measures to update the country’s voting rolls, including establishing voter registration centers and organizing registration campaigns.

Geoff Ramsey, a senior analyst on Venezuela at the Atlantic Council think tank, said Tuesday’s agreement “forces the regime to crack open a window,” but leaves up to the opposition “to pry that window all the way open” with the assistance of the international community.

Maduro’s government and the Unitary Platform, the faction of the opposition backed by the U.S., began the current negotiation process in 2021 in Mexico with the mediation of Norwegian diplomats. But the dialogue stalled at various points.

From the start, Maduro demanded that the U.S. drop economic sanctions and unfreeze Venezuelan funds held overseas. The opposition sought guarantees for the election to avoid conditions in previous votes that were widely considered to favor pro-government candidates.