Caracas, Venezuela – Over six days, the Venezuelan government and a faction of the opposition held their first round of talks to discuss reforms. The meeting concluded on Wednesday at the Gran Melia hotel, a five-star venue surrounded by riot police.
This was the first time the two sides sat down together since former President Nicolas Maduro was detained by the United States, where he had been behind a crackdown on dissenting voices.
Nieves Jose Benitez, a 72-year-old high school teacher in Delta Amacuro state, one of Venezuela's most remote regions, earns only $0.17 a month. That amount is not enough to cover a bus fare to work. He relies on odd jobs or hunting for food, along with remittances from relatives abroad. Many skilled professionals have left the area.
Benitez traveled to Caracas this week to demand change, joining dozens of other workers and retirees. He expressed hope that the two sides could agree on wage increases and, eventually, elect a new government.
"Nothing is better than dialogue. We have to find a solution," he said. "But we also have to remain vigilant. Because the government wants to do whatever it pleases. That is why we take to the streets—we want solutions now, and we want change."
Observers question what this dialogue can achieve, amid the deep economic crisis and prolonged political instability in this South American nation.
