PANAMA CITY: Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino told CNN on Friday he would give Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro safe passage to act as a “bridge” to a third country in order to allow for a political transition in his country.

Maduro has claimed victory in his re-election bid late last month, but the political opposition in the South American nation has done the same while the electoral authority has yet to release detailed vote tallies.

“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.

Panama is part of a group of Latin American countries that have cut diplomatic ties with Venezuela since the disputed July 28 election, including Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Uruguay.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s opposition leader said that she would offer President Nicolas Maduro “guarantees and incentives” for a “negotiated transition” of power which sees him leave office.

Speaking via voice notes sent while in hiding amid fears for her safety, Maria Corina Machado also called for greater support from the international community for Venezuela’s political opposition, which is disputing Maduro’s July 28 election victory.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2024