Venezuela’s national government and former deputies of the 2015 National Assembly held the final plenary of the third cycle of talks in Caracas on Wednesday, centered on reviewing compliance with agreements on institutional matters and renewal of the judicial system.

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This phase covered the review of commitments from the second cycle, which concluded Sept. 25 with partial agreements on lifting restrictions on digital news portals, adding guarantees for the right to information and progress in judicial renewal.

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The agenda also included installing the Credentials Review Council for applicants to the Supreme Court of Justice as part of discussions on the judicial system.

En desarrollo la última plenaria del tercer ciclo de conversaciones. pic.twitter.com/n46lLsSMaC

— Jorge Rodríguez (@jorgerpsuv) October 21, 2026

The government delegation was headed by National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez and included deputies Pedro Infante, Jorge Arreaza and América Pérez, Minister of University Education Ana María Sanjuan and Deputy Minister Génesis Garvett. The 2015 Assembly delegation included Dinorah Figuera, accompanied by Juan Miguel Matheus, Sergio Vergara, Marco Aurelio Quiñones and Ramón López.

The formal talks began Aug. 12, when both parties agreed on a working methodology and installed technical tables on care for earthquake victims, democratic strengthening and judicial system reforms.

Acordaron conformar una delegación paritaria para seguir gestionando la recuperación de activos de reserva internacional de Venezuela depositados en el Banco de Inglaterra. Reconocieron avance en fortalecimiento de la libertad de expresión, pensamiento plural y derecho a la información.

El tercer ciclo fe instalado el pasado miércoles 14 de octubre con el objetivo de avanzar en la renovación del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia y en la fijación de garantías de participación para las organizaciones políticas en Venezuela.

Delegations from the Venezuela’s government and the opposition 2015 National Assembly opened a third round of political dialogue Wednesday in Caracas, with the renewal of the Supreme Court and participation guarantees for political parties at the center of the agenda.

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The Venezuela’s government delegation is led by National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, joined by university education Minister Ana María San Juan and lawmakers Jorge Arreaza, América Pérez, Génesis Garvett and Pedro Infante.

The opposition side is headed by Dinorah Figuera, leader of the 2015 Assembly. She is accompanied by former deputies Marco Aurelio Quiñones, Ramón López, Jorge Millán, Juan Miguel Matheus and Sergio Vergara.

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This third cycle gives continuity to the agreements reached in the previous round, which closed on September 25 after two plenary sessions and five technical working groups.

The talks resume five months after the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington. That rupture followed a January military operation under the Trump administration which led to the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, the First Combatant Cilia Flores. The attack left at least 100 people dead and a similar number wounded.

#14Oct || Este miércoles se instaló la tercera Jornada de Diálogo Nacional entre el Gobierno y la AN 2015, desde el Hotel Meliá Caracas pic.twitter.com/CNeaHt7UcP

— Asamblea Nacional 🇻🇪 (@Asamblea_Ven) October 14, 2026

Text reads: “This Wednesday was the third Day of National Dialogue between the Government and 2015 National Assembly, from the Hotel Meliá Caracas.”

Court Renewal in Focus

The renewal of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice dominates this phase. A preliminary commission of the Venezuelan parliament, chaired by deputy Giuseppe Alessandrello, has begun interviewing 127 citizens nominated by different sectors of society and by their own initiative. The purpose is to form the Judicial Postulation Committee.

The evaluations run through Friday to structure a list of eligible candidates that will be presented to the full legislature next week. The final slate of nominees for Supreme Court magistrates is expected in early December.

In the previous round, both sides backed Acting president Delcy Rodríguez’s decision to lift administrative measures against news portals and digital media. They also agreed to create a Credential Review Council for aspirants to the top court, to promote debate on the use of the radio spectrum and to review the legal framework for transforming Venezuela’s justice system.

The Caracas meeting marks a further step in a process that has already produced concrete concessions on media access and now turns toward the judiciary. Both delegations consider the court’s composition central to the guarantees surrounding any future electoral contest, and the interview process under way is the first practical move toward that renewal.

What remains to be seen is whether the momentum built over two prior rounds holds through December. The presentation of the final magistrate candidacies will test whether the dialogue can deliver institutional change or whether it will stall once again at the stage of implementation.

Changes seek to moderate penalties, decriminalize certain conduct and strengthen trust in state institutions.

On Wednesday, Jorge Rodriguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, sent to Caryslia Rodriguez, president of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), the draft partial reform of the 2017 “Law against Hatred, for Peaceful Coexistence and Tolerance.”

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“Now the Supreme Court must consider the partial reform to continue moving forward and subsequently hold a second debate on the bill,” lawmaker Rodriguez said.

The initiative seeks to moderate penalties considered disproportionate and move toward decriminalizing certain conduct classified as offenses under the law approved by the National Constituent Assembly.

Origin of the Request

On Sept. 29, Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez asked the National Assembly to partially reform the Law Against Hate. Her main objective is to advance the decriminalization of conduct covered by the legal framework as part of the transformation of the criminal justice system.

She proposes creating opportunities for social reconciliation, respecting diversity and placing human dignity at the center of legislation. The legal amendment also aims to strengthen trust in state institutions and invigorate the country’s political and social life.

Consultation and Participation

The bill was drafted by the Special Commission for the Partial Reform of the Constitutional Law Against Hate, for Peaceful Coexistence and Tolerance, chaired by lawmaker Pedro Infante, the Parliament’s first vice president.

On Oct. 5, the commission was established at the Legislative Palace to define a work plan based on dialogue with various social sectors, Infante said. He added that the discussion sessions would provide opportunities for active listening to incorporate civil society.

The consultation will include victims, journalists and sectors affected by the previous application of the current legislation. The review focuses on articles that provide prison sentences of 10 to 20 years for the crime of incitement to hatred. In parallel, the technical commission proposed changing the law’s official name.

The proposed legislation must undergo review by the Supreme Court, public consultation and a second parliamentary debate before final approval.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: AN – teleSUR