The Biden Administration is trying to reach an agreement with the dictatorial regime of Nicolás Maduro and the Venezuelan opposition that would ease sanctions on the Latin American country's oil industry under the condition that free and fair presidential elections are guaranteed.
According to a report from the Miami Herald, the agreement requires that Maduro accept international supervision of the elections in Venezuela and lift the bans that the regime has imposed on key opposition candidates.
The United States, for its part, could ease some of the oil sanctions. Although it is not yet clear what this ease of sanctions would include, a senior Biden Administration official announced on condition of anonymity that the agreement does not have plans to unfreeze Venezuelan assets.
The announcement of the pact would presumably be made once both the dictator and members of the Venezuelan opposition sign the agreement, which could occur this Tuesday during a meeting to be held in Barbados as part of a process of dialogue and negotiation between representatives of the Maduro regime and the Venezuelan opposition.
El anuncio conjunto de las partes del proceso de diálogo y negociación de #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/rtCRivFrnp
— Noruega en MX y CA (@NoruegaMexCA) October 16, 2023
Nicolás Maduro confirms negotiation with the opposition
The Venezuelan dictator confirmed that his regime is close to signing agreements with the opposition that could be "very beneficial for the upcoming elections."
ÚLTIMA HORA | Maduro en vísperas de firma de acuerdo electoral con la oposición: “Serán muy beneficiosos para las venideras elecciones” https://t.co/OimnKoEqdR pic.twitter.com/KrNKCVaO74
— AlbertoRodNews (@AlbertoRodNews) October 16, 2023
Deal Concerns
After the agreement came to light, some analysts and opponents were skeptical due to Nicolás Maduro's history of breaking his word and his lack of interest in ceding power.
"The regime has only one goal: to get Washington to lift sanctions. They are not interested in embarking on a political transition, they are not interested in recovering the democratic system, nor holding just and transparent elections. They only want the sanctions to be lifted," said Williams Dávila, opposition congressman for the Democratic Action party.
Dávila explained that the regime could accept the conditions to get what it wants on paper and then secretly sabotage the process.
"This means we can't simply take what they are proposing. We need to have a comprehensive plan and that means that if we are going to have an election, we need to ensure that the conditions are in place to ensure the transparency of those elections, and that goes through doing away with the disqualifications, the ban of political parties and an end of the press blackout," he stated.
A lawyer specializing in international affairs, Mariano de Alba, gave a very similar opinion through his X account about Nicolás Maduro's objectives and the short duration that the agreement could have.
Luego de la primaria opositora, habría que evaluar la implementación de un posible acuerdo. Además de su historial de incumplimientos, el interés del gobierno de Maduro en el acuerdo es muy puntual y cortoplacista: tratar de obtener rápidamente recursos. Podría retractarse.
— Mariano de Alba (@marianodealba) October 13, 2023
