The Panama Manifesto, explained:

The document lays out what looks like an updated “transition roadmap,” combining negotiation, electoral demands, and a broader nation-building agenda.

At its core, the document explicitly acknowledges Marco Rubio’s “three-phase plan” as an “essential strategic framework” for democratization.

Within that, the Machado– coalition commits to a “serious, firm and responsible” political negotiation with interim authorities led by Delcy Rodríguez, with democracy defined as the end goal.

The text designates Machado as conductora of the democratic process. Negotiations, it adds, will be carried out in coordination with Unitary Platform parties and in consultation with “organizations of Venezuelan society”.

Machado would also appoint the opposition’s lead negotiator, heading a delegation made up of technical experts and political representatives.

On conditions for negotiation, the manifesto sets out a familiar list of demands: the release of remaining political prisoners, safe return for exiles, and the normalization of public space that includes the dismantling of the repression apparatus and other armed groups.

The central objective of any negotiation remains electoral: achieving presidential elections with enforceable rules, guarantees, and “due” international observation. To that end, the opposition calls for a new CNE composed of “independent and respectable figures,” alongside an urgent, verifiable electoral timetable.

Alongside the negotiation track, the manifesto proposes a parallel initiative: the Gran Acuerdo Nacional para la Recuperación de la República (GANAR?). Framed as a broad national agreement, it calls on all sectors of Venezuelan society to join a political and social pact aimed at “unity and State vision.” It lays out ambitions of democratic governance, sustained economic growth, shared prosperity, and national reunion.

To advance this parallel process, the opposition commits to maintaining a unified international message aligned with democratic allies, promoting grassroots participation, and establishing permanent mechanisms for citizen consultation and internal coordination.