The United States Department of State said this Saturday, January 27, that it will “review” its policy of sanctions against the Government of Nicolás Maduro, following the ruling of the Venezuelan Supreme Court that confirms the disqualification of opposition politician María Corina Machado from participating in the elections. presidential elections this year. Faced with multiple complaints from Machado's political platform and his international allies, Chavismo defends that the opposition “broke” the agreements agreed upon in Barbados on the organization of fair elections.
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“The United States is currently reviewing its sanctions policy against Venezuela, based on these events and the recent political attacks against candidates from the democratic opposition and civil society,” said Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the Department of State, through an official statement.
Miller referred to the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) of Venezuela, of January 26, in which it was considered that María Colina Machado, a 56-year-old industrial engineer who swept the opposition primary elections with 92% of the vote, is ineligible to participate in the presidential elections of the South American country.
Machado and five other members of the opposition were confirmed as disqualified for the electoral cycle, in addition to confirming the “administrative sanctions” against said politicians.
In the case of the opposition leader, she has been disqualified for fifteen years for having “participated in the orchestrated corruption plot” against the Government of President Nicolás Maduro by the former head of Parliament Juan Guaidó.
The State Department spokesperson described the TSJ's decision as “deeply worrying”highlighting that these acts contradict the agreements reached in Barbados, where the Maduro Government committed to allowing the free election of candidates in all parties on the political spectrum.
The Government also committed to the opposition to work on an electoral schedule and review the disqualifications, as part of those agreements reached in Barbados with the mediation of Norway, which led to a temporary lifting of oil sanctions on the country.
In this way, Washington's sanctions against the sale of Venezuelan oil decreased in intensity since last October, after the signing of the agreement. Now, both parties accuse each other of having transgressed the pact.
María Corina Machado was proclaimed on October 26 as the opposition's presidential candidate for the 2024 elections in Venezuela. The proclamation occurred despite the judicial attack promoted by the Government of Nicolás Maduro against the National Primary Commission (CNP), which was in charge of organizing the opposition consultation and against which the Prosecutor's Office announced an investigation for “fraud.” and usurpation of functions of the National Electoral Council.
Maduro accuses the opposition of breaking the Barbados agreement
Faced with accusations from the opposition and abroad, the ruling party continues with its defense. The Venezuelan president attacked the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), an opposition alliance led by Machado, stating that members of his ranks are involved in “five conspiracies”, including an assassination attempt against him.
“The opposition platform fell with the kilos (it was unmasked) when breaking the Barbados agreement. They have not dared to support the investigations of the five conspiracies, nor have they condemned the assassination attempts,” Maduro wrote on his account. X, formerly Twitter.
Furthermore, the Venezuelan president uploaded a video in which he explains that, although his Administration managed to sign an agreement with the opposition which stipulated that they “renounce violence, respect the law and collaborate so that Venezuela recovers”, the Opposition GROUP has not complied with these demands.
The opposition platform fell with the kilos when breaking the Barbados Agreement. They have not dared to support the investigations of the five conspiracies, nor have they condemned the assassination attempts. In “Maduro Podcast” there is more on this topic ==> https://t.co/GTBF20ou7b pic.twitter.com/9nDAhnKtoo
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) January 27, 2024
Despite this, the ruling party expressed that it remains open at the dialogue table to reach an agreement with the opposition.
The opposition denounces “unconstitutionality”
The decision of the TSJ has caused a wave of discontent in the Venezuelan opposition coalition. From the Voluntad Popular party, chaired by exiled politician Leopoldo López, they affirm that the ruling “destroyed” the Barbados agreements, adding that “an election without María Corina Machado is not a free election.”
Added to the claims of Voluntad Popular was the statement from Un Nuevo Tiempo, also an opposition faction, which described the TSJ's decision as “unconstitutional.”
“At Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT) we deplore this decision of the TSJ against María Corina which, clearly, is unconstitutional,” mentioned the party of which Luis Emilio Rondón is vice president.
From abroad, the Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas (IDEA), a political conglomerate formed by more than 30 former Latin American presidents, condemned Machado's disqualification, asserting that the 56-year-old engineer remains “the legitimate representative of the opposition in Venezuela.” “.
“María Corina Machado, in accordance with the rules of democracy, continues to be the legitimate representative of the opposition in Venezuela and its presidential candidate before the international community,” mentioned the association's letter, which was signed by former leaders such as Colombian Álvaro Uribe; the Chilean Sebastián Piñera; the Ecuadorian Guillermo Lasso and the Mexican Vicente Fox, among thirty other figures.
The PUD announced that they will report the facts to Norway, the guarantor country of the Barbados negotiations, a decision that materializes the multiple opposition requests that the TSJ's decision be reversed so that their candidate can appear on the electoral ballots of the next presidential contest.
In April of last year, ten years passed since the election of Nicolás Maduro as president of Venezuela in the elections called after the death of Hugo Chávez.
After a first term in government, Maduro was re-elected in 2018 in the presidential elections with the lowest participation in Venezuela, with little representation of the opposition and whose conditions generated rejection from several countries.
With EFE, Reuters and local media
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