TALKS between Venezuela’s government and opposition in the Dominican Republic stalled at the weekend but will resume on Thursday.

Optimism from government delegation leader and Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez for an imminent deal was belied by reports on Sunday that the latest meeting, mediated by Dominican President Danilo Medina, had ended without result.

Opposition representative and national assembly speaker Julio Borges told reporters on Sunday that his Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mud) coalition had continued to demand the replacement of the National Electoral Commission with its own nominees before this year’s presidential election. He also called for the freeing of hundreds of “political prisoners.”