No Venezuela Deal

Emiliana Duarte and Francisco Toro say at Caracas Chronicles that former Spanish PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (who has been acting as a mediator between the Venezuelan government and opposition) offered a deal whereby the opposition would stop the recall effort in return for freeing political prisoners and allowing for more opposition judges in the Supreme Tribunal's Constitutional Chamber). Both Henrique Capriles and Leopoldo López rejected the offer.

As deals go, it's remarkably undemocratic. We pack the courts, and so can you!

Meanwhile, the CNE has accepted 1.3 million signatures for the recall. Assuming the recall referendum is not negotiated away, the question just remains timing.