There are no negotiators, let alone a set timetable, but there is a new attempt Dialogue in Venezuela Today is closer than yesterday. The Joe Biden arrives at the White House After four years of management Donald Trump – The victory of speech against Nicolas Maduro without tangible results – and The European Union turned to Juan Guaidó In itself, they laid the foundations for rehearsing some of the contacts between Chavezmo and the opposition. Any negotiations in the South American country are presented as an obstacle course. All recent operations have failed. Yet, with the government increasingly in power and its opponents harassed and divided, the only alternative to an agreed-upon solution, starting with elections, is perpetuation. The dangerous emergency suffered by millions of Venezuelans.

This week, the 27 member states of the European Union avoided again recognizing Guaidó as the interim president, A position mandated, with broad international support led by the United States, two years ago in the face of Maduro’s deep crisis of legitimacy. On January 5, the Socialist United Party of Venezuela (PSUV) regained control of the National Assembly after parliamentary elections which it attended practically solo, without competition. Thus the leader of the opposition lost the position of the head of the legislature and was effectively excluded from the institutions.

Brussels continues to accept the politician as a privileged interlocutor in Venezuela, but Europe’s stance in favor of exploring new talks runs counter to the plans of the anti-Chavez sector that he heads, which has made dialogue taboo. The last time Guaidó agreed to negotiate timidly and through envoys, It was in the summer of 2019 during an attempt promoted by Norway in Barbados. Last year, in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Chavezmo and the opposition reached specific agreements on managing the health crisis, showing that everything is a matter of political will. But from there it didn’t happen.

The European Union is committed to a “comprehensive dialogue and negotiation process”, although the High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, acknowledged in an interview with Efe that there are currently no signs that an exploratory phase will open. In addition, even Henrik Capriles, another prominent opposition leader, He also publicly diverged from the strategy of Guaido and Leopoldo LopezThose who seek to return to the stage of permanent mobilization on the street. Capriles even opened the door to parliamentary elections in December, although he finally resigned for lack of guarantees.

The founder of the Primero Justicia party wrote two weeks ago: “There are many statements issued by democratic governments and multilateral organizations insisting on the search for a peaceful and negotiated political solution that alleviates the suffering of Venezuelans.” In an exhibition published in EL PAÍS. “The countries that support our democratic struggle talk about negotiation, because we bring together all parties and insist on achieving the new electoral authority that the Venezuelans have been deprived of, as well as the Supreme Court, the Attorney General and the financial controller that they provide to the institutions and urges the republican balance recognized by all.

Distrust

The lack of trust between the parties is enormous. If the opposition always had a serious leadership problem to unite in an electoral process, then Chávezmo was unwilling to make concessions and was able to convince some sectors of public opinion, also abroad, that its rivals were the real ones responsible for a crisis. This argument is fueled by protests, riots, attempts to dismantle the armed forces, and economic sanctions of the United States. None of that helped.

Biden victory, Who took office on January 20, Opens a new scenario, although there is no clear definition at this time. The Democrat’s decision to review the measures taken by Trump against Cuba It indicates a shift in focus in regional politics. According to several analysts, the new administration will ease sanctions imposed on Maduro and Petroleos de Venezuela and seek some contacts with Caracas. But this change will be gradual. For now, the only thing that is clear is that Biden’s Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, has made the Venezuelan crisis a priority for US foreign policy in Latin America.

Blinken spoke with Colombia’s Foreign Minister Claudia Blume on Friday and they discussed setting up the Chavista regime. “Minister and Counselor Blume discussed their shared commitment to restore democracy and economic stability in Venezuela,” a foreign ministry spokesman said. The new head of US diplomacy also emphasized “the importance of efforts being made to meet the humanitarian needs of Venezuelan immigrants in Colombia and throughout the region.” The ball is, at the end, on the roof of the White House.