Venezuelans on Oct. 22 nominated María Corina Machado as the opposition’s candidate to challenge President Nicolás Maduro in a presidential election planned for next year. Machado won more than 90 percent of the vote, but Maduro’s government in June banned her from holding public office until 2030, and the country’s Supreme Court on Monday suspended the results of the opposition primary. What is driving support for Machado? Will Maduro’s government, which agreed earlier this month to allow a competitive presidential election next year, allow Machado to run? How big of a chance does Machado have of unseating Maduro next year, and what would she and the opposition need to do in order to achieve that?. Full Text-> TheDialogue

Second, many individuals in power in Venezuela, or with links to those in power, have been involved in corruption, mismanagement, organized crime or drug trafficking and may not necessarily face prosecution for crimes against humanity.Some may prefer to be remembered as having transitioned Venezuela back to democracy rather than as part of a repressive regime. To engage them in opening the door to a democratic transition, they need incentives, and ongoing criminal investigations into corruption and related crimes can provide them. It would not be the first time that individuals facing the threat of robust prosecutions by authorities with the political will to move forward are persuaded to cooperate after meaningful benefits are offered in exchange for survival. A reduced sentence or the possibility of keeping some of the funds obtained illegally is a possible outcome, a golden bridge By Tamara Taraciuk Broner. Full Text -> AmericasQuarterly

Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, is preparing for an international summit to revive negotiations between Venezuela’s government and opposition parties. The conference aims to resolve Venezuela’s ongoing political crisis before the country’s presidential elections next year. The Colombian Foreign Affairs Ministry said Petro will invite officials from Latin America, Europe, and the US to attend the meeting after Easter. The summit could happen this month, as both sides in Venezuela, including Norway, which mediated past talks, have approved the idea. Details and timing of the summit have not been previously reported.

Colombian President offered to host a new round of talks between the Venezuelan government and opposition parties, in an attempt to end a four-month stalemate. Petro hopes the talks will create a “road map” for “effective political dialogue” ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Fresh talks would be a major win for Petro, who has yet to receive a formal invitation to visit the White House. The Biden administration has been pushing for talks but has made little headway.

Venezuelan opposition member, Stalin González, has expressed approval of a new conference led by Petro aimed at ending Venezuela’s political crisis. The conference has been commended for its efforts in keeping the negotiation process intact. The Venezuelan government has not responded to the notion of the conference while the Colombian government has confirmed that opposition members could meet with Petro before the event.

Venezuela will restrict its initial COVID-19 vaccine rollout to citizens with a state loyalty card, excluding approximately eight million people (largely opposition members or supporters) from the first stage of the country’s inoculation campaign, Bloomberg reported. Full Text -> Stratford

Undercover agents of the Nicolás Maduro regime kidnapped on Saturday an exiled Venezuelan businessman in the Brazilian border town of Pacaraima, shooting him in a leg and then forcing him into an SUV to cross clandestinely into Venezuelan territory, in an operation that failed in the end when the truck got stuck in the mud, area residents and the local press reported. By Antonio María Delgado. Full Text and Video -> MiamiHerald

Maduro said Communication Minister Jorge Rodriguez held a meeting with a Norwegian delegation. “Jorge Rodríguez is having a conversation; he received them here and now he is coordinating what was left unresolved with the Norwegians,” he said. “The talks were reactivated.” By Laura Gamba. Full Text-> AnadoluAgency

The Bank of England would effectively be “financing torture” if President Nicolás Maduro were to win a British court case ordering it to hand $1bn of Venezuelan gold in its vaults to his regime, opposition leader Juan Guaidó has warned. The legal battle comes as Venezuela grapples with widespread shortages of food, water and fuel as well as coronavirus and choking US sanctions. Desperately short of hard currency, the Maduro regime is trying to unblock frozen Venezuelan assets across Europe. By Michael Stott and Gideon Long. Full Text -> Yahoo!News

At a remote hearing Thursday in London, a lawyer acting for the Venezuelan government-appointed central bank said the BOE wanted to postpone the proceedings “to permit Mr. Guaido to intervene and to lay claim to the central bank’s gold.” The Venezuelan bank asked the BOE to liquidate the gold and send the funds to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is working with the country to prepare for an increase in Covid-19 cases. By Jonathan Browning. Full Text -> Bloomberg

On Tuesday, Nicolas Maduro addressed the leaders of governments across the world to request their assistance amid US attempts to arrest him over accusations of drug trafficking, which he has slammed as “false” and not based on any evidence. Full Text -> The Nation

“We’re with Venezuela all the way, we’re doing a lot, and we have a lot planned,” Trump said. “America stands with the suffering people of Venezuela and Cuba and Nicaragua.” By Mohammad Ali. Full text-> UrduPoint