The Joe Biden government in the United States would have a preliminary list of 60 officials from the government of Nicolás Maduro who could be subject to sanctions following the disputed presidential elections in July, in which the National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Nicolás Maduro the winner.
According to the criteria of
According to the agency Reuterswould be officials related to the CNE, the Supreme Court and the counterintelligence police.
“The Treasury Department submitted the draft sanctions list to the State Department in recent days. The number of people to be sanctioned could change.”says the agency’s note.
Sanctions would impose travel bans on affected officials and family members, and would prohibit business between them and any U.S. entity.
It is not yet clear when the package of measures will be announced or whether it will include sanctions against the oil industry. Washington has already sanctioned many key Venezuelan officials, including the head of the CNE, Elvis Amoroso, so its scope for action is limited.
Five years ago, The United States announced its most severe measures yet, following Maduro’s unrecognized first re-election. These measures have hit the oil sector ever since.
In April, the Treasury Department decided not to renew a broad license that had temporarily granted Venezuela the means to freely export its oil. Instead, it issued individual licenses to some energy companies.
United States concerned about Venezuela
The United States has expressed regret that more than three weeks after the presidential elections in Venezuela, the minutes certifying the results have still not been published. On several occasions and through various officials, he has warned that he will “hold accountable” those who facilitate “fraud.”
“The United States will hold accountable those who facilitate electoral fraud and repression. The will of the Venezuelan people must be respected,” said Brian A. Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, in X on Tuesday.
Nichols expressly referred in his message to the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, and his representatives, to whom He has criticized the fact that they continue to refuse to publish the original minutes that would reflect “the true aspirations” of the citizens.
The Biden administration, along with allies and international organizations, continues to support the call for the publication of the minutes by the CNE and the cessation of violence against civilians, who are peacefully demanding respect for their will expressed at the polls.
Meanwhile, the opposition announced on Wednesday that it will consider “ineffective and null” any eventual ruling by the Supreme Court to “certify” the disputed re-election of President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, according to an open letter published by its leaders.
Maduro was re-elected on July 29 for a third six-year term, until 2031, with 52% of the votes, but the electoral authority has not published the details of the vote count, claiming that its system was the target of a hack. The opposition denounces fraud and claims victory for its candidate Edmundo González Urrutia.
The president then went to the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), accused of being at his service, to ask it to “certify” the election of July 28.
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