After the courts kept Maria Corina Machado’s ban in place, the US just recently said they would put oil sanctions back on Venezuela’s oil industry.
Maria Machado won a primary with the goal of running against Trump in the 2024 presidential race. But on Friday, the Venezuelan Supreme Court said Machado couldn’t run for office.
The US says that President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term, but they also say that the election was not fair at all. The United States then said it would put sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry, which is a big part of the country’s budget.
When the US made threats, Venezuela said that they were “rude and improper blackmail.”
Having said that, the US did lift or lessen those penalties in October when the Maduro government reached a deal that would help set up a free and fair presidential election for the second half of 2024.
The US Treasury also put out a temporary rule that would let business happen in Venezuela’s oil industry. The United States has made it very clear that nothing will change if Venezuela does not meet “its commitments under the electoral roadmap.” This oil exemption is set to end on April 18. In essence, they said that this would not be renewed if they did not lift the ban on Maria Corina Machado and other candidates.
Delcy Rodrigues, Venezuela’s Vice President, said that the US government was threatening them and that they should not follow through with the deadline. She also said she would stop the planes that bring back Venezuelan immigrants who are in the US illegally.
If Ms. Machado can run, she’s likely to win the race. “They should get ready to lose because we’re going to win…” She said, “They can’t hold elections without me.”
A close friend of Mr. Maduro said that the government kept their end of the deal. They stated, “Those who wanted to appeal appealed and also pledged to respect the outcome.”
