Government officials and opposition representatives from Venezuela have agreed to a plan that sets the foundation for fair presidential elections that everyone agrees should happen.
The government said they will ask other countries to come and watch the election happening later in 2024.
The 2018 election was thought to be unfair. The agreement was made in Barbados.
The agreement is a special achievement after 11 months of no progress in the talks.
However, experts say that it does not solve the problems that the opposition has been trying to fix.
There is no talk about freeing political prisoners or allowing certain opposition candidates to participate in the 2024 election.
The US, EU, Canada, and UK welcomed an agreement in Venezuela as an important step towards restoring democracy. They believe it is crucial for inclusive discussions to continue.
But it’s important to note that there is still a lot of work to be done. The statement asks for the immediate release of all people who have been unfairly arrested, for elections to be fair and independent, for the courts to be fair and independent, for freedom of speech (including for journalists), and for people to be treated with dignity and have the right to participate in politics.
The agreement signed on Tuesday has 12 points. These points include promises to make sure all candidates can use public and private media, and to ensure they can move freely and safely across the country.
The two groups have agreed to update the lists of voters, both in Venezuela and other countries, so that Venezuelans who have moved away can still vote.
However, there is already a disagreement about the qualifications that candidates need to have in order to run for the presidency.
The paper states that anyone who meets the requirements set by the constitution can register for the presidential election.
The leader of the opposition group, Gerardo Blyde, said that this could give a chance for opposition candidates who have been prevented from holding positions to “regain their rights. ”
However, the head of the government team, Jorge Rodríguez, seemed to say something different. He said that people who were not allowed to be candidates by the comptroller-general would not be allowed to participate in the 2024 election.
The problem is very controversial because many well-liked opposition leaders have been banned by the comptroller-general, who is a close friend of President Maduro.
One of the candidates in Sunday’s election to choose someone to represent the opposition in the 2024 election is believed to be María Corina Machado, who is considered the top contender.
The 56-year-old ex-legislator has said no to leaving the competition. She believes that if she becomes the opposition candidate on Sunday, the Maduro government will have to give in and allow her to participate.
The government hasn’t officially said who they will choose as their candidate, but many people think Mr. Maduro will run again.
The Maduro government wants the deal on Tuesday to help reduce the strict rules imposed by the US, which became stricter after his win in 2018. The US says his victory was not fair or valid.
The United States is very interested in resolving the crisis in Venezuela because a lot of Venezuelans have been forced to leave their country due to the bad economy, and many of them are going to the United States.
Venezuela has a lot of oil, more than any other country. If the US eases up on the restrictions they have on Venezuela’s oil industry, it would help both countries’ economies.