US-backed Venezuela talks to begin without opposition leader Machado

Before a mid-June visit by Figuera to Caracas, Machado was not even aware that talks were set to begin, three sources said. Another source said Machado had been informed about the talks but not invited to join the opposition delegation because she is not a member of the 2015 assembly.

“Machado is right to distance herself from this process," said a person with knowledge of the negotiations. "If the negotiations go well and lead to free elections, she will become Venezuela’s first female president. If the negotiations go badly, she will have proven her point: that negotiations need representatives who have legitimacy and who are accepted and viewed positively by the public."

The negotiators face the task of producing results quickly enough to build confidence among Venezuelans and to make up for Machado’s absence from the talks, the source said.

Machado said last week that while she would not participate, she would not stand in the way of "real progress” at the talks and would evaluate their success based on whether democratic institutions are restored, political prisoners freed and elections scheduled, among other issues.