Venezuela government and opposition set to begin talks next week

Former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has ruled as interim leader since the United States captured then-President Nicolás Maduro in January.

Jorge Rodríguez, speaker of the National Assembly and Delcy Rodríguez's brother, said that he had spoken with opposition politician Dinorah Figuera by phone.

We have agreed on a first personal meeting in Caracas next week, says Jorge Rodríguez.

He also said that the parties had "established a working plan with clear and verifiable goals" and that the talks will, among other things, be about "strengthening democracy."

Both Freedom House and V-Dem, which researches democracy, have identified a sharp democratic decline in Venezuela over the past 25 years.