Caracas: Venezuela's government and opposition pledged Friday to screen Supreme Tribunal candidates and ease restrictions on online media as their second round of Caracas talks closed with a joint statement, officials said.
The statement said progress would be made "during the next regular session of the National Assembly in the appointment of the preliminary committee of the judicial nominations committee."
The composition of the committee, made up of 11 lawmakers and 12 members of civil society, is seen as a key element in ensuring impartiality when it receives nominations for judicial candidates. Rodriguez told reporters the next round of talks would take place in October.
"Of course there will be elections, there will be four elections... What lies ahead? Parliamentary elections, mayoral elections, gubernatorial elections and presidential elections within the time frame established by the Constitution," Rodriguez said when asked by reporters, but without giving exact dates.
Although the delegations agreed on some progress regarding changes to the highest court, analysts and five sources in Venezuela's political sphere said that setting an election date faces significant obstacles, including difficult institutional reforms and little apparent urgency in Washington for a rapid vote.
A presidential election would be due in 2030 under the constitutional timetable, although the country's current interim administration has not set a date for the vote.