Venezuelan President Rejects Panama’s Offer for Political Transition

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro dismissed an offer from Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino to facilitate his departure to a third country, following a disputed election. Mulino suggested Panama as a safe passage for Maduro to ensure a political transition. Maduro criticized Mulino, accusing him of being influenced by the U.S.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gave a scathing response to an offer on Friday from his Panamanian counterpart, Jose Raul Mulino, to facilitate his departure to a third country for a political transition. Mulino told broadcaster CNN he would provide Maduro with safe passage to act as a bridge to a third country following a contested July 28 election, claimed by Maduro but labeled an opposition landslide by independent pollsters.

'If that's the contribution, the sacrifice that Panama has to make, by offering our soil so that this man and his family can leave Venezuela, Panama would do it without a doubt,' Mulino said in an interview. However, Maduro accused the Panamanian president, himself only in office for three months, of being 'carried away by the gringos,' a derogatory term for Americans.

'I will try to learn your name, President of Panama, but whoever messes with Venezuela runs aground,' Maduro told reporters outside a courtroom where he filed an appeal to verify the electoral results. Panama has also agreed with the U.S. to handle the deportation of migrants crossing the Darien Gap. Last year, over 60% of the 500,000 migrants who crossed the Darien were Venezuelans. The July 28 election's legitimacy remains in contention, with Venezuela's electoral authority yet to release detailed vote tallies.

Panama is part of a coalition of Latin American countries cutting diplomatic ties with Venezuela since the disputed election, including Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, and others. Mulino has called for a regional summit to discuss the election outcome, suggesting it could coincide with the Dominican Republic's presidential inauguration on Aug. 16.

(With inputs from agencies.)