WSJ: US offered amnesty to Maduro in exchange for peacefully relinquishing power

The Biden-Harris administration offered Nicolás Maduro and other top Venezuelan officials amnesty in exchange for ceding power in Venezuela peacefully before January, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The offer, made in secret talks, included not extraditing any of the main figures of the Bolivarian regime.

According to the aforementioned report, Jorge Rodríguez, president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, and Daniel P. Erikson, of the White House National Security Council, were the ones who began the negotiations remotely, without any in-person meetings. It is not the first time that the U.S. has offered amnesty to the dictator, who, to date, has always refused to leave power.

The offer is in line with the position of the Venezuelan opposition, led by María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, who are willing to include guarantees for the leaders of the dictatorship in negotiations for the transfer of power after the regime continues to deny the election results from July 28. The indispensable condition is that Chavista authorities respect the peaceful transition.

Opposition calls for worldwide demonstrations against Maduro

Meanwhile, Machado has called for massive demonstrations both in Venezuela and outside its borders "so that the world supports our victory and recognizes the truth and popular sovereignty." In a video posted to social media, the opposition leader said, "This Saturday, Aug. 17, we will take to the streets of Venezuela and the world. Wherever there is a Venezuelan, there we will be together."