Venezuela's Supreme Court bans opposition leader from running for president
Venezuela's Supreme Court ruled on Friday that a top opposition leader cannot run for president, dealing a crippling blow to the prospects for credible elections the government had sought to hold this year in exchange for lifting crippling US economic sanctions.
The court's decision bans opposition figure María Corina Machado from running in elections for 15 years, upholding the Venezuelan government's decision to exclude Ms Machado over what she said were financial irregularities that took place when she was a national legislature.
The move comes after Ms Machado overwhelmingly won the opposition presidential primary, which was held in October without official government support and saw more than 2.4 million Venezuelans vote. Analysts say Ms Machado poses the biggest electoral threat to President Nicolás Maduro.
The Biden administration has tried to persuade Venezuela's authoritarian government to hold elections by easing some of the sanctions that have decimated the country's oil industry, a vital source of revenue.
In October, Maduro's government reached an agreement with the opposition on steps toward a presidential election, including allowing opponents to choose a candidate for elections due to take place this year, although a date has yet to be set.
The Biden administration indicated that more sanctions could be lifted if the Maduro administration allowed candidates who had been disqualified from running in elections. And Venezuela agreed to allow candidates barred from running for office to appeal their exclusion to the country's highest court.
But Maduro's government has also repeatedly undermined the opposition's ability to mount a meaningful challenge.
The government has questioned the legitimacy of the opposition primaries and has taken legal action against the organisers.
The pressure has increased in recent days. Ms Machado said her campaign headquarters had been vandalized and three of her campaign officials had been arrested.
The United States said on Tuesday that it “very concerned“through arrest warrants and detentions against at least 33 Venezuelans, including members of the opposition, journalists and former members of the military, according to a statement from the US Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia.
“We call for an end to politically motivated intimidation, including attacks on opposition campaign offices and all attempts to suppress the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people through fear and intimidation,” the statement said.
Since Maduro came to power in 2013, following the death of Hugo Chávez – the founder of the country's socialist-inspired revolution – a combination of increasing repression, rampant corruption and sanctions has made life much more difficult for ordinary Venezuelans, killing millions have left the country. country.
The United States released a close ally of Maduro last month in exchange for 10 Americans jailed in Venezuela, in a new step in an effort to improve relations.
Venezuela's economic collapse and political repression have fueled an exodus that has helped record numbers of migrants gather at the U.S. southern border, turning migration into a major crisis