In a forceful measure, the United States announced this Tuesday the reactivation of sanctions on the Venezuelan oil and gas sector, in response to the disqualification of the prominent opposition candidate's candidacy. Maria Corina Machado by the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ).
The US State Department reported that it will not renew General License 44 starting in April, granted in support of the Barbados agreement signed in October of last year, according to a report from CNN.
According to the official statement, Washington considers that the actions of Nicolas Maduro and its representatives - such as the arrest of opposition members and the banning of candidates - are not consistent with the Barbados agreements.
The license, which benefited the Venezuelan oil and gas sector, will expire on April 18, 2024. This decision comes in addition to the revocation, announced on Monday, of the license that authorized transactions with CVG Minerven, a company dedicated to gold mining. and controlled by the Venezuelan regime.
The statement emphasized that the Barbados agreement – which established an electoral roadmap – remains the most viable mechanism to resolve the crisis in Venezuela and achieve competitive and inclusive elections.
However, he stressed that this will require Maduro and his representatives to respect the principles of the roadmap and guarantee the freedom of choice of opposition candidates for the 2024 presidential elections.
Meanwhile, defiant in the face of "threats" from the United States, President Maduro affirmed that Venezuelan institutions continue to function.
For his part, the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, warned that they will not accept external pressure or interference, while the international community carefully observes the developments and the impact of these sanctions on the already complex political and economic scenario of Venezuela.
“Citizen María Corina Machado Parisca is disqualified from exercising public functions for a period of fifteen years, according to Resolution number 01-00-000285, dated September 16, 2021, issued by the Comptroller General of the Republic,” The Supreme Court of Venezuela recently indicated.
The news of the disqualification of Machado's candidacy for the presidential elections that must be held in 2024, provoked his reaction on social networks.
“The regime decided to end the Barbados Agreement. What does not end is our fight to conquer democracy through free and fair elections. Maduro and his criminal system chose the worst path for them: fraudulent elections. That's not gonna happen. Let no one doubt it, this is until the end", declared the leader of Vente Venezuela on the social network X.
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