The opposition group is made up of former lawmakers who were elected to the National Assembly in 2015, the last time opposition parties won a majority in the legislative body.

National Assembly elections held since then have been boycotted by the opposition or widely dismissed as neither free nor fair, as Maduro and his PSUV party tightened their control over all branches of government.

The opposition team will be led by Dinorah Figuera, who returned to Venezuela in June after almost eight years of exile.

Upon landing in Caracas, he told reporters that he had traveled to his country of origin “at the invitation of the [US] Department of State” with the aim of promoting the renewal of the National Electoral Council (CNE).

The CNE has been dominated by staunch loyalists to the Maduro government for years.

It was the CNE that declared Maduro the winner of the 2024 presidential election, even though vote counts collected by election observers and independently verified showed an overwhelming victory for the opposition candidate, Edmundo González.

In its statement, released on Tuesday, the opposition group stated that the priority of the talks would be the strengthening of democratic institutions and the electoral system, as well as providing guarantees for political participation.

Opposition politicians and those who have expressed criticism of Maduro’s government have faced persecution for years.

Many have been imprisoned and many others have fled into exile.

Despite the release of dozens of political prisoners following Maduro’s overthrow, 372 remain behind bars, according to a tally by prisoners’ rights group Foro Penal.

The best-known opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has not yet been able to return to Venezuela after secretly leaving the country in November to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting democracy.

Despite dedicating his Nobel Prize to US President Donald Trump, his administration now appears to favor Dinorah Figuera over Machado as the person to negotiate a democratic transition in Venezuela.

Machado attempted to return to Venezuela shortly after the two earthquakes, but was unable to enter the country.

And although President Trump has denied that his administration blocked his efforts to enter Venezuela, US media had previously quoted unnamed officials describing his attempts to return as “potentially detrimental” to post-earthquake rescue and reconstruction efforts.

Machado has not yet commented on the talks announcement, but called on the coalition of opposition parties she leads to meet later Wednesday to discuss it.