Current:Home > reviewsUS condemns ban on Venezuelan opposition leader’s candidacy and puts sanctions relief under review -WealthMap Solutions
US condemns ban on Venezuelan opposition leader’s candidacy and puts sanctions relief under review
View
Date:2025-04-12 13:23:24
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The U.S. government on Saturday condemned the decision of Venezuela’s highest court to block the presidential candidacy of opposition leader María Corina Machado.
The Biden administration, however, remained noncommittal about reimposing economic sanctions on Venezuela, which it has threatened to do if the government of President Nicolás Maduro failed to ensure a level playing field for the country’s next presidential election.
“The United States is currently reviewing our Venezuela sanctions policy, based on this development and the recent political targeting of democratic opposition candidates and civil society,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Machado won a presidential primary held in October by the faction of the opposition backed by the U.S. She secured more than 90% of the vote despite the Venezuelan government announcing a 15-year ban on her running for office just days after she formally entered the race in June.
The former lawmaker and longtime government foe was able to participate in the primary because the election was organized by a commission independent of Venezuela’s electoral authorities. Machado insisted throughout the campaign that she never received official notification of the ban and said voters, not ruling-party loyalists, were the rightful decision-makers of her candidacy.
Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice on Friday upheld the ban, which was based on alleged fraud and tax violations and accuses Machado of seeking the economic sanctions the U.S. imposed on Venezuela.
The ruling came months after Maduro and the U.S.-backed opposition reached a deal on basic conditions for a fair election, which the two sides agreed would take place in the second half of 2024. The deal led Washington to ease some economic sanctions on Maduro’s government.
Miller said Friday’s decision from Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice “runs contrary to the commitments made by Maduro and his representatives” under the agreement signed in October in the Caribbean island of Barbados.
veryGood! (971)
Related
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Agent Scott Boras calls out 'coup' within union as MLB Players' Association divide grows
- Kenny Chesney reveals what he texted Taylor Swift after her Person of the Year shout-out
- What to know about Dalton Knecht, leading scorer for No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- Singer Cola Boyy Dead at 34
- 2 Japanese men die in river near Washington state waterfall made popular on TikTok
- Arkansas airport executive director, ATF agent wounded in Little Rock home shootout
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- California tribe that lost 90% of land during Gold Rush to get site to serve as gateway to redwoods
Ranking
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Mega Millions winning numbers for March 19 drawing: Lottery jackpot soars to $977 million
- Rams QB Jimmy Garoppolo says he 'messed up' exemption leading to PED suspension
- Sorry, Coke. Pepsi is in at Subway as sandwich chain switches sodas after 15 years
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Subway will replace Coca-Cola products with Pepsi in 2025
- Flaring and Venting at Industrial Plants Causes Roughly Two Premature Deaths Each Day, a New Study Finds
- Federal appeals court order puts controversial Texas immigration law back on hold
Recommendation
Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
Jokic’s 35 points pace Nuggets in 115-112 win over short-handed Timberwolves after tight finish
'Lady Gaga Jazz & Piano' returning for 8 summer dates in Las Vegas
Ohtani and Dodgers rally to beat Padres 5-2 in season opener, first MLB game in South Korea
Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
6 wounded, some severely, in fight outside Utah funeral home
A teen weighing 70 pounds turned up at a hospital badly injured. Four family members are charged
What to know about Dalton Knecht, leading scorer for No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers