Venezuelan government, opposition agree to work towards reform of top court

Venezuela's interim government and the political opposition announced an agreement to establish a seven-member committee to review the method used to select candidates for the country's Supreme Court of Justice. The arrangement was disclosed on Friday after a second round of bilateral talks and marks what both sides described as a first concrete step toward judicial reform. The joint statement said the committee will examine the candidate-selection system and that the parties will continue analyzing and reviewing the legislative measures required to transform the judicial system. The government delegation in the talks was led by National Assembly chief Jorge Rodríguez, while the opposition was represented by Dinorah Figuera, who headed the opposition bloc that won Venezuela's last internationally recognized election in 2015. The talks follow an initial round in August, during which the parties agreed to overhaul the judicial system and pursue the recovery of Venezuelan assets frozen by the Bank of England. The source also notes the interim government took power after what it describes as the U.S. military's abduction of former President Nicolás Maduro in January; the interim administration has since engaged more closely with the United States, including meetings between interim leaders and U.S. officials. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has pledged to hold elections, reiterating that promise during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, though she did not provide a timeline. The source also reported meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA between Rodríguez and U.S. President Donald Trump and discussions involving U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about restructuring Venezuela's sovereign debt. The next round of talks between the government and opposition is scheduled for next month.