- Venezuela bans Machado candidacy
- Machado persists in democratic efforts
- US condemns court decision
A prohibition against presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado from holding office has been upheld by the Supreme Justice Tribunal of Venezuela, thwarting opposition plans for elections later this year.
Machado, a former lawmaker, secured more than 90 percent of the vote in the opposition’s autonomously run presidential primary in October last year, positioning her to potentially challenge long-time socialist leader Nicolas Maduro in the forthcoming elections.
After her June nomination, the government banned her from standing for office for 15 years, yet she won.
Following the court’s decision, Machado announced on social media on Friday that her “campaign to achieve democracy through free and fair elections” continues.
“Maduro and his criminal organization want fraudulent elections – the worst possible course of action.” That will not happen. “Let there be no doubt; this is the final countdown,” the 56-year-old wrote on X.
Hours before the court’s ruling, tensions between the political opposition and Maduro’s government escalated. Three of Machado’s allies were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy.
Charges Against Opposition Party Members
Attorney General Tarek Saab charged members of Machado’s Vente Venezuela party – Guillermo Lopez, Luis Camacaro, and Juan Freites – with involvement in a group of at least eleven individuals who attempted to steal a military weapons arsenal the year before, planning an attack on the governor of a pro-Maduro state.
Saab referred to the three individuals as “criminals” on state television.
In an X post, the Vente Venezuela party stated that Camacaro and Freites had appeared in court in Caracas on Thursday without authorized contact with their families or private legal counsel, describing the process as “illegal and arbitrary.” There was no mention of Lopez.
The court also affirmed findings that Machado had supported US sanctions, was fraudulent, and had mismanaged Venezuela’s foreign assets, including the Colombia-based chemical company Monomeros and the United States-based oil refiner Citgo.
Venezuela-United States relations
The United States government condemned the court’s decision to uphold Machado’s ban on Saturday. The action could further deteriorate relations between the two countries.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement, “The United States is currently reviewing our Venezuela sanctions policy in light of this development and the recent political targeting of democratic opposition candidates and civil society.”
In October, Barbados’ electoral deal prolonged Venezuela’s sanctions remission, which the US wants to keep. They require Maduro to release American citizens who were “wrongfully detained” and political prisoners.
Despite the Maduro administration’s release of five prisoners, including prominent opposition figures. It reaffirmed that disqualified candidates would not be allowed to compete in the 2024 election.
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The Barbados deal was “mortally wounded,” Maduro declared Thursday after regime officials prevented three murder plots.
“The regime decided to implement the agreement in Barbados.” “However, our struggle for democracy to prevail through free and fair elections remains unfinished,” Machado wrote in a message via X.
Since 2013, Maduro, a former aide to President Hugo Chavez, has been in office. He is anticipated to run for a third six-year term in 2024, though he has not officially declared.
With a victory, he would be well-positioned to remain in office until 2030, significantly extending the eleven years Chavez ruled.
