Opposition accuses President Nicolás Maduro of non-compliance with promise to free political prisoners as mediators scramble to save talks

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Venezuela’s opposition has said that talks with the government were “frozen” after officials failed to attend meetings, throwing cold water on Vatican-brokered attempts to bridge the country’s deep political crisis.

Though the formal talks, which began last month, appeared to have led to the release of a handful of detained activists, hopes for real rapprochement were always slim.

The two sides are fundamentally at loggerheads, with the opposition seeking to oust the socialist president, Nicolás Maduro, while authorities vow he will not leave office before his term ends in 2019.

“The government, in an irresponsible manner, froze the dialogue process by not showing up to two technical meetings last night,” opposition coalition leader Jesús Torrealba told Reuters.

Opposition activists said authorities backed away after the national assembly on Tuesday held a heated session in which they slammed Maduro over a drug scandal.

Two nephews of Maduro’s wife were found guilty this month on charges in the US that they tried to carry out a multimillion-dollar drug deal to help their family stay in power.

“The government is using the debate as an excuse,” said two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, accusing authorities of not being committed to talks.

“The government has not complied with any of its promises. They promised to free political prisoners; there are more than 100 imprisoned. They promised [to open] a humanitarian channel; not a single medicine has come in.”

The information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It was not clear if the talks could be revived or if the opposition would resume a more militant agenda, which before the talks included protests and putting Maduro on trial before the national assembly.

Mediators appeared to be trying to save the talks.

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Spain’s ex-prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and US diplomat Thomas Shannon were holding or seeking meetings with both sides.

Dialogue had divided the diverse opposition coalition, with some activists feeling the government was duping the opposition to buy time. Previous sit-downs also showed little progress.

The situation in oil-rich Venezuela has worsened in the past few months, with a recession leaving millions unable to find or afford food amid shortages and soaring inflation.

The opposition blames Maduro, who is unpopular, and has been vying to remove him via a recall referendum. The former bus driver and union leader, however, has said the opposition is actually seeking a coup against him and has vowed to see out his term.

