The United States is considering additional measures against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after the South American country’s highest court blocked the presidential candidacy of an opposition leader, Stars and Stripes reports.
On Monday, Washington lifted some of the sanctions it granted Venezuela last year, fulfilling its threat to do so after Maduro reneged on a deal his administration struck last year in Barbados with the Venezuelan opposition to hold free elections in 2024.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Friday upheld the ban on opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, winner of a primary held by the US-backed opposition faction.
Machado, a former lawmaker, won more than 90 per cent of the vote and won the opposition’s independent presidential primary. She won despite the government announcing a 15-year ban on her running just days after she officially entered the race in June.
The US has been clear on the way forward in support of democratic elections and is considering additional measures against Maduro’s regime, a National Security Council spokesman said.
On Monday, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control gave companies doing business with Venezuela’s state-owned mining company until 13 February to wind down operations. The office cleared deals with the mining company in October after Maduro’s government agreed to level the playing field ahead of this year’s presidential election.
The agreement moved the election date to the second half of 2024. Both sides called for “facilitating the authorisation of the participation of all presidential candidates and political parties” provided they abide by the law.
Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the US State Department, said the Barbados election roadmap is the most viable mechanism to address Venezuela’s long-standing political and economic problems. However, he believes, “this requires that Maduro and his representatives adhere to the principles of the roadmap and ensure that opposition political forces have the right to freely choose their candidates for the 2024 presidential election.”
