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During the week, the Comptroller General of Venezuela disqualified for 15 more years the Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado, who according to the main polls points out as the favorite to run against Nicolás Maduro for the Venezuelan presidency. Now, with a political disqualification for the opposition leader, she poses in a scenario in the South American country similar to Nicaragua, with Daniel Ortega, one of Maduro’s main ideological allies.

According to the authorities of the Venezuelan Comptroller’s Office, Machado is linked to a series of crimes related to corruption in Venezuela, and even to having stolen the exorbitant amount of 99 billion dollars. “Citizen María Corina Machado Parisca (…) is disqualified from holding any public office for a period of 15 years,” reads a letter issued by the authorities.

The opposition leader responded against the authorities of Nicolás Maduro and the fraction of political leaders who urged the new measure against her, that a useless “disqualification that only shows that the regime knows that it is already defeated.” Machado also stated that “now we will vote with more force, more rebellion and more desire” in the next Primary elections to choose a candidate against Maduro for 2024.

Photo: Alonso Calatrava/ Courtesy-Impremedia

The United States and Europe support Machado

The United States government condemned over the weekend the decision of the Nicolás authorities to ratify the disqualification of the opposition candidate to aspire to any political office for 15 years. “Today’s decision (…) deprives the Venezuelan people of basic political rights,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

In addition to the representatives of the White House, the European Union issued this Monday its rejection of this measure that the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, described as an action that will only deepen the political crisis. and social in Venezuela.

Even one of Maduro’s main allies in the region, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, stated on Twitter that “no administrative authority should take away political rights from any citizen.”

Not only María Corina Machado has a political disqualification by the authorities of Nicolás Maduro, but also two other possible candidates for the 2024 elections. Among that list are opposition politicians Henrique Capriles, former candidate for the presidency on two occasions and former governor, and Freddy Superlano, former deputy and leader of the Voluntad Popular party, where Juan Guaidó and Leopoldo López lead political life.

The two-time candidate for the presidency of Venezuela, Henrique Capriles Randoski.The two-time candidate for the presidency of Venezuela, Henrique Capriles Randoski.
Photo: Alonso Calatrava/ Courtesy-Impremedia
Photo: Courtesy

Regarding the veto that the three candidates now share to hold political office in Venezuela, Capriles replied on social networks that the disqualification for 15 years of Machado, by the Comptroller’s Office, is an unconstitutional, unfounded and shameful action. “We categorically reject this new display of the undemocratic course of Maduro and his regime,” he said on Twitter.

Despite the actions by Maduro and his authorities, specialists in Venezuela assure that it is a strategy to dilute the vote in the face of presidential elections where the Maduro government “has everything to lose” against a unitary representative of the opposition.

So far, none of the three leaders has mentioned that they were withdrawing from the race to occupy the presidency, despite the new move by Nicolás Maduro, similar to those used by one of his main allies, Daniel Ortega, in Nicaragua.

Keep reading:

  • The White House condemned the disqualification of María Corina Machado from exercising as a presidential candidate in Venezuela

By Scribe