Venezuela's Supreme Court upheld a 15-year ban on opposition leader María Corina Machado from holding public office.
The United States has begun reimposing sanctions on Venezuela restricting its mining sector after the South American nation's highest court upheld the disqualification of an opposition presidential candidate.
Any US company doing business with Venezuelan state mining company Minerven has until February 13 to complete a “closing of transactions” with the company, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said on Monday.
The United States warned Venezuela over the weekend that it could end some sanctions granted last year when Caracas agreed to a deal for the 2024 elections, including establishing a process for potential candidates to challenge their disqualification.
On Friday, Venezuela's Supreme Court, loyal to President Nicolás Maduro's government, upheld a 15-year ban against opposition leader María Corina Machado and also confirmed the ineligibility of her potential replacement, two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles.
Machado on Monday called the court ruling that blocked his presidential bid last week a “judicial crime” and vowed to stay in the race, declaring that the decision embodies the ruling party's fear of having to face it at the polls.
Sanctions relief
Maduro's government had raised hopes in Washington and others when it reached an agreement last year in Barbados with the Venezuelan opposition to hold a free and fair vote in 2024, with international observers present.
Thanks to that deal, Washington eased sanctions, allowing U.S.-based Chevron to resume limited oil drilling and paving the way for a prisoner swap.
On Monday, White House spokesman John Kirby said members of Maduro's government “have not taken those actions” promised in Barbados.
“So we have options available to us,” he said. “We certainly have options regarding sanctions and that type of thing.”
Jorge Rodríguez, a lawmaker who heads Maduro's team in negotiations with the opposition, said before the US Treasury decision that if Washington took “any aggressive action,” Venezuela's response would be “calm, reciprocal and energetic.”
Machado, a 56-year-old former lawmaker, won the opposition's independent presidential primary with more than 90 percent of the vote in October.
Her victory came despite the government announcing a 15-year ban on her running for office just days after she formally entered the race in June.
The old enemy of the government was able to participate because the primaries were organized by an independent commission of Venezuela's electoral authorities. Machado insisted throughout the campaign that he never received official notification of the ban.
In December, Machado filed a lawsuit in court arguing that the ban was void and requesting a court order to protect his political rights.
Instead, the court upheld the ban, alleging fraud and tax violations and accused it of seeking economic sanctions that the United States imposed on Venezuela over the last decade.
