James Story, the US ambassador to Venezuela, is in Caracas since March to persuade both the administration and the opposition to resume the political talks that have stagnated, the discussion included restarting the discussions in Mexico within the next three weeks – under Norwegian mediation - and a potential lifting of US sanctions.
According to a State Department official, Roger Carstens, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, accompanied the meeting as they discussed about the welfare and safety of US citizens in Venezuela. Former Citgo oil company executives are detained in Caracas, accused of a failed effort to invade Venezuela by boat and overthrow Maduro with Operation Gideon in 2020.
As for the elections, the opposition alliance declared during a news conference that it will permit participation by all democratic candidates, not just those who adhere to the Unitary Platform. They also promised to reveal the primary election date in the future months for the 2023 election cycle. To choose one candidate to represent the opposition as a potent contender in the 2024 presidential elections, primaries will be held among all the parties that oppose the Maduro administration.
According to a Bloomberg article, the economy of Venezuela is expected to grow at its quickest rate in 15 years, signalling a recovery for a nation that recently came out of the worst recession in Latin America. The same platform published a study of five economists that predicts that the gross domestic product will increase by 8.3 percent this year, up from 1.9 percent in 2021. The nation is benefiting from an increase in oil output, and the expansion of tax income and banking credit shows that domestic demand is growing. As of December, economists expected growth to be 5.2 percent. Since 2019, the central bank has not released any official GDP figures.
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