Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been accused of failing to meet the conditions set out for the upcoming round of talks. It had been hoped that brokered negotiations would eventually lead to full bilateral talks.
Venezuela's political opposition on Tuesday said it wouldn't send representatives to the next round of scheduled talks with government officials after accusing the country's president, Nicolas Maduro, of failing to follow through on human rights commitments and electoral guarantees.
"Negotiation is not to go and waste time, to look at someone's face, but rather so that Venezuelans can have immediate solutions," said Henrique Capriles, the leader of the opposition Democratic Unity alliance. "We cannot have a repeat of last year's failure," he added, referring to the failed talks that were brokered by the Vatican in 2016.
In mid-September, Dominican President Danilo Medina began brokering negotiations between the government and opposition with the aim of creating a framework for future dialogue.
Venezuela on the brink
Venezuela is facing collapse amid multiple crises. DW takes a look at what has brought the oil-rich nation to its knees.
In March 2017, violent protests erupted across the country in response to a Supreme Court decision to strip the legislative branch of its powers. Amid an international outcry, President Nicolas Maduro reversed the decision, but it was too late. Thousands continued to take to the streets, calling for new elections. More than 100 people were killed in clashes with security forces.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Barreto
Hunger, a growing problem
The violence added to the ongoing economic and political crisis in Venezuela. Many Venezuelans spend more than 30 hours a week waiting in lines to shop, and are often confronted with empty shelves when they finally enter a store. President Maduro blames the crisis on US price speculation. The opposition, however, accuses the Socialist government of economic mismanagement.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/C. Becerra
Health care in crisis
The crisis has even affected health care in the oil-rich nation. Venezuelans often head to Colombia to collect medical supplies to send home, as seen in this picture. Hospitals across Venezuela have compared conditions to those seen only in war zones. As patient deaths rise, health officials have sounded the alarm on the rise of malaria and dengue fever.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M.Duenas Castaneda
Power grab
By July 2017, Venezuela's pro-government Constituent Assembly was established. For observers, it had all the hallmarks of a power grab. The new body adopted the authority to pass legislation on a range of issues, effectively taking away the powers of Venezuela's elected congress, which was under the opposition's control. The move drew wide international condemnation.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Miraflores
The West sanctions
In response to the political crisis, the United States and European Union imposed a series of sanctions against ruling officials. The US blacklisted members of the Constituent Assembly and froze all of Maduro's assets that are subject to US jurisdiction. The EU banned arms sales to the country.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AFP/T. Schwarz
Government victorious in regional elections
In October 2017, Venezuela held two votes: regional elections and elections for governors, which were long overdue. The opposition boycotted the vote, but then split, as some candidates and small parties chose to participate. This caused a deep rift within Maduro's opponents. The government went on to sweep the vote, which detractors say was unfair and heavily favored the regime.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
Debt default
In November 2017, the oil-rich, cash-poor nation faced its day of reckoning. Credit ratings agencies declared Venezuela and its state-run oil company in "selective default." But Russia offered to restructure the South American country's debt to ensure Caracas pays its other creditors. US and EU sanctions, however, limited the chance of an agreement.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
Presidential elections scheduled
The National Assembly announced in January 2018 that it would grant Maduro's call for snap presidential elections. The electoral authority, CNE, held the elections on May 20. The EU, the US and 14 Latin American nations warned that they would not recognize the results. The mainstream MUD opposition alliance boycotted the vote, leaving only one possible outcome.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Parra
Maduro wins ...
Maduro was re-elected to a second six-year term with about 68 percent of the vote. Turnout was only 46 percent, according to electoral authorities. However, the MUD opposition alliance put turnout at less than 30 percent. The Organization of American States (OAS) called the elections neither free nor fair.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
... Guaido assumes power
But weeks into the new year, the situation took a drastic turn. On January 23, 2019, parliament president Juan Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela — a move that was quickly recognized by US President Donald Trump. Maduro called it a US-backed "coup." Days later, the US sanctioned Venezuela's state oil firm, while Guaido staked his claim on the country's foreign assets.
Image: Imago/Agencia EFE
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Not enough progress made: opposition
Each side had held separate talks with Medina, before the opposition said not enough progress had been made on Maduro's part to warrant full bilateral negotiations.
They also accused the president of failing to nominate an independent third observer to facilitate any eventual negotiations.
The opposition has refused to back away from its demands that a date be set for the next presidential election, due by the end of 2018 at the latest.
It is also insisting that hundreds of detained activists be released, a foreign humanitarian aid corridor be established and that the powers of the opposition-held congress be recognized and respected.
After four years of recession, Venezuela is now going through a deep political and economic crisis which has left millions facing shortages of basic goods, such as food and medicine. This summer saw weeks of violent street protests that left more than 120 people dead.
Maduro, however, has shown no sign of stepping down, seeking instead to consolidate his power by stripping the opposition-controlled National Assembly of its authority and creating a new constituent assembly, staffed with government loyalists tasked with rewriting the government's constitution.
The president has also claimed that Venezuela is the victim of "economic warfare" perpetrated by the political opposition and United States, in a bid to force him and the socialist government from power.
US President Donald Trump has called on the European Union to follow his lead in placing sanctions on Venezuela.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who met with Trump in the White House on Tuesday, was the first leader to directly endorse the notion of sanctions. Speaking alongside Trump to reporters in Washington, Rajoy described the situation in Venezuela as "unacceptable," declaring it was "no longer a democratic country"
"Sanctions are important," he said. "It is important there is an international coalition so democracy is restored."
The Venezuelan government, meanwhile, has decried the US decision to impose sanctions and issue a travel ban on its citizens this week, with the Foreign Ministry saying the measures amounted to a form of "psychological torture."
