(CNN Spanish) – The questioned president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, said that there is an “intense” negotiation with all sectors of the opposition to expand electoral guarantees for the municipal and regional elections on November 21.
In a exclusive interview with Bloomberg published this Friday, he announced that “very soon” there will be “good news” in this regard.
Asked about the US position that calls for free and fair elections to lift the sanctions imposed against the country, Maduro affirmed that these guarantees will be expanded based on that negotiation with the opposition and that they do so out of “political conviction.” He added that international observers from “important centers of political thought,” organizations such as ASEAN, the European Union, and US observers are invited.
Regarding the presidential elections of 2024, Maduro did not confirm whether he will run as a candidate. He limited himself to saying that the most important thing is not his future, but that of the country.
The president also spoke of some changes in economic matters such as the elimination of various price controls, the liberalization of the exchange market and the facilitation of imports. The president explained that they are due to “economic aggressions.” “Venezuela has had to declare an economy of war and promote the development of all productive forces,” he said. He hopes that these policies will achieve economic growth in the second semester, although he ruled out a total dollarization of the economy.
Regarding the tense relationship with the United States, he pointed out that the only thing he observed differently from the Joe Biden administration are spokesmen expressing the need for an agreement through a political dialogue among Venezuelans, although he asked that they abandon “demonization ” from the country. He expressed his aspiration to reestablish relations with the “ruling elite of Washington”, but when asked about the changes that would be expected from his government, he replied that “they occur every day” and that there cannot be a relationship “where they put him a gun to the head and tell us what to do ”.
Bloomberg also published interviews with opposition leaders Juan Guaidó and Henrique Capriles on Friday. The first considered that the Maduro government will “never” support a political agreement that leads to his departure because its objective is “to remain in power.” “We need a negotiation that creates real competitive conditions for an election and transform that into a window to resolve this terrible conflict.” For his part, Capriles pointed out that talking about a negotiation was “impossible” with the government of Donald Trump. “I agree to a comprehensive process that allows gradual results, small victories that add up. We have to dismantle the existential conflict in which the winner takes everything and the loser is left with nothing. We have to find visions that we agree on because the country’s situation speaks for itself, ”he said.