The U.S. State Department announced on Saturday that it is reassessing its sanctions policy towards Venezuela following a court ruling that upheld a ban on presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado from holding office. The decision by Venezuela’s Supreme Justice Tribunal means that Machado, a 56-year-old industrial engineer, will not be able to register as a candidate for the upcoming presidential elections in the second half of 2024.
In response to this development and the recent targeting of opposition candidates and civil society in Venezuela, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated, “The United States is currently reviewing our Venezuela sanctions policy.” This move comes after the U.S. had previously eased economically damaging oil sanctions on Venezuela in October, following an agreement between President Nicolas Maduro’s government and the opposition to hold a free and fair presidential election in 2024.
Miller expressed deep concern over the court’s ruling, emphasizing that it contradicts the commitments made by Maduro to allow all parties to choose their candidates. Meanwhile, Maduro warned on Thursday that the agreement with his opponents was at risk of collapse due to alleged conspiracies against him.
Gerardo Blyde, the head of the opposition negotiating team, rejected any association with acts of violence and called for the court decision to be overturned. He stated during a press conference in Caracas, “We are not asking for sanctions, that is not our job. We are seeking progress in the process.”
On the other hand, a representative for the government’s negotiating team affirmed their commitment to the talks during a separate press conference in Caracas. Hector Rodriguez, the ruling party governor for Venezuela’s Miranda state, declared, “We will never hesitate to remain in the talks, to remain in the discussion,” while asserting that the government had fulfilled all previous agreements.
The US is reviewing its sanctions policy against Venezuela after a court upheld a ban preventing presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado from holding office. The ruling contradicts commitments made by President Maduro to allow all parties to select candidates. The US eased oil sanctions on Venezuela in October after a deal was reached for a free and fair 2024 presidential election. The court ruling is seen as a concerning decision and there are concerns that the deal with the opposition may collapse. Both sides have expressed their commitment to remaining in talks.
Disclaimer: Only the headline and content of this report may have been reworked by Newsearay, staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed. The Article was originally published on Source link
