The Maduro Regime in Venezuela Remains Determined to Disqualify Opposition Candidate María Corina Machado from the Presidential Election

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Issue Jan 24-30 2024: On January 26, 2024, the Venezuelan Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ), to no one’s great surprise, upheld a 15-year ban on María Corina Machado from holding public office and also confirmed the ineligibility of a possible alternative opposition candidate, two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles. The TSJ is widely seen as controlled by the Maduro government. As a consequence, the United States issued a two-month ultimatum to the Maduro government, demanding the inclusion of barred opposition candidates in the upcoming presidential elections. Venezuela’s political opposition also demanded that the Supreme Court reinstate Machado’s electoral eligibility for this year’s still unscheduled vote. Machado said her Vente Venezuela party’s headquarters were vandalized and two of its members were abducted, in violation of a pact between President Nicolás Maduro’s government and the opposition for a free and fair vote. Pundits and editorialists had plenty to say.

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