The News
Outgoing US President Joe Biden met with Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González in Washington, DC, on Monday.
González — whom the US recognizes as the winner of Venezuela’s contested 2024 election — has vowed to return to Caracas after being forced into exile by incumbent President Nicolás Maduro, who claimed victory in the July poll.
González’s DC visit caps a tour of several Latin American countries: He has sought to bolster support for his expected return to Venezuela ahead of Maduro’s inauguration on Friday.
Following the meeting, Biden said: “The people of Venezuela deserve a peaceful transfer of power to the true winner of their presidential election,” while González described the talks as “fruitful.”
SIGNALS
Despite heightened tension in Venezuela, major upheaval is unlikely
González’s US and Latin America tour is “unlikely” to hinder Maduro from being sworn in as president, El País noted, but tensions are rising: Maduro has mooted a $100,000 reward for information leading to González’s capture. Meanwhile, González has urged Venezuela’s army to recognize him as their commander-in-chief, CNN reported, a call the country’s defense minister rejected. Opposition figure María Corina Machado has encouraged González’s supporters to protest on inauguration day, prompting officials to warn any opposition would “pay dearly.” The ongoing crackdown on dissent indicates that Venezuela is “about to become a full-blown dictatorship,” a Western diplomat in Caracas told The Economist.
Trump could shift US approach to Venezuela
Incoming US President Donald Trump’s approach to Maduro could rehash his first-term “maximum pressure” policy: Trump has appointed Marco Rubio — a known Venezuela “hawk” — as his secretary of state. A complicating factor is that Venezuela is a major source of immigrants to the US — more than 5 million people left the country between 2019-2022 — and Trump has vowed to dramatically cut those numbers. A senator close to the incoming US administration said it is open to working with Maduro to stem drug and migration flows. “Maduro is leaving the door open for a more pragmatic approach from the Trump administration,” an expert told Al Jazeera.