Venezuela's interim government held its first formal talks on June 18 with Dinorah Figuera, a former opposition lawmaker who returned from eight years of exile at the invitation of the US State Department, in a move backed by Washington aimed at charting a path towards a democratic transition.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela's National Assembly, met Figuera at the Federal Legislative Palace in Caracas, in his capacity as a delegate for political dialogue on behalf of his sister Delcy Rodríguez, who has served as interim president since Nicolás Maduro's capture in a US military intervention roughly six months ago. The National Assembly described Figuera in a statement as a representative of opposition deputies elected for the 2015-2020 term.

The State Department endorsed the meeting, saying in a statement that it provided an opportunity to "discuss an agenda that will serve as the roadmap for a political dialogue on a democratic transition.” The agenda would cover "key priorities" including the rebuilding of democratic institutions, the strengthening of the electoral authority, and guarantees for political participation, the department added. The US embassy in Caracas separately confirmed its backing for the talks in a social media post.

Figuera, a 65-year-old doctor who once led the 2015-elected parliament, told reporters on her arrival in Caracas that she was acting at Washington's request. "At this moment I am accepting an invitation from the State Department to take on all these challenges . . . in terms of having a credible National Electoral Council," she said, as quoted by AFP.

According to Figuera, the process originated at a meeting convened at the State Department by Michael Kozak, the US assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, who sought to establish what she described as an institutional channel between the 2015 National Assembly — which retains formal control over Venezuelan state assets abroad, including the Citgo refining group and gold reserves held in the UK — and the current parliament. The National Assembly said the two sides had agreed to form a "joint technical and political working group."

Figuera said the negotiations carried a target date of December 2026 for delivering legislative reforms, with technical teams to review electoral law, audit the vote-counting system and secure international observation missions. She added that the agenda also encompassed the reinstatement of political parties' legal registration under their legitimate leaderships, press freedom guarantees, a review of Supreme Court appointments, and the return of exiled Venezuelans along with restitution of expropriated property.

Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, told a House of Representatives hearing earlier this month that Venezuela required "a new electoral committee" in order to "hold elections with guarantees."

The talks notably exclude María Corina Machado, the firebrand opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, whose Unitary Platform coalition has said she alone should negotiate with the Rodríguez government on the opposition's behalf. Figuera said she sought no presidential ambitions of her own and described Machado as "the leader elected in the primary elections by the opposition," arguing that a credible electoral authority was needed to guarantee a future Machado candidacy or that of any other contender.

Elias Ferrer, director of the Caracas-based advisory firm Orinoco Research, said Washington's strategy marked a shift from its previous approach to the country. "There is a focus on 'rules of the game' rather than on the players," he wrote on X, adding that the emphasis on reforming institutions ahead of any vote represented "a radical turning point from how the US used to approach Venezuela." Ferrer said he did not expect a presidential election before late 2027 or 2028 at the earliest, though other votes — such as a constitutional referendum or local council elections — could come sooner. He added that the White House appeared to be prioritising economic reform and opportunities for US companies over a rapid push to the ballot box, which could trigger destabilisation and hinder the country's economic revival.

The opposition coalition led by Machado has long maintained that her candidate, exiled seasoned diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia, won the 2024 presidential election, in which Maduro claimed victory amid widespread allegations of fraud. Machado has repeatedly called on Washington to support a negotiated "restoration of democracy." However, after Maduro's ouster the Trump administration sidelined her and opted to work with Rodríguez, who has presided over a reform drive aimed at opening the oil and mining industry to US investors, alongside only a limited opening on civic freedoms. President Donald Trump has since heaped praise on Rodriguez, calling her a “terrific person” who is “doing a great job.”

Figuera went into exile in Spain in 2018 after what she described as threats and harassment over her role as spokesperson in the case of Fernando Albán, a fellow Primero Justicia party member who died in prison that year. In 2023 she took on the presidency, from abroad, of a parliamentary commission made up of legislators elected in 2016 who had been bypassed by Maduro and whose legitimacy the US had continued to uphold until Trump’s recognition of Rodriguez as legitimate leader in March.

Separately, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control this week issued three licences easing sanctions, permitting certain transactions involving Venezuelan state oil bonds, the supply of goods and services to state airline Conviasa, and postal and courier exchanges with Venezuela.