(Reuters) – The United States is reviewing its sanctions coverage towards Venezuela after a court docket upheld a ban which prevents presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado from holding workplace, the State Department stated on Saturday.
The ruling by Venezuela’s Supreme Justice Tribunal on Friday means Machado, a 56-year-old industrial engineer, can not register her candidacy for presidential elections scheduled for the second half of 2024.
“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 stated in a press release.
The United States eased economically debilitating oil sanctions on the crude-exporting nation in October after President Nicolas Maduro’s authorities signed a take care of the opposition beneath which Caracas made commitments to carry a free and truthful 2024 presidential election.
Miller stated the court docket ruling was a “deeply concerning decision” that ran opposite to the commitments made by Maduro to permit all events to pick their candidates for the presidential election.
Maduro on Thursday stated the take care of his opponents was at risk of collapse after what he has described as “conspiracies” towards him.