The main Venezuelan opponent Maria Corina Machado, candidate for the 2024 presidential election against President Nicolas Maduro, has challenged her ineligibility before the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), she announced on Friday the deadline for filing her appeal.
“Nobody will stop us from voting. Now the ball is in Maduro’s court and Maduro must decide whether or not to respect the agreements he has made with members of the international community,” Ms. Machado told the press as she left the TSJ.
“[les dirigeants] I look for excuses to avoid having to confront myself. “The Venezuelan people are committed to me. There are no excuses,” added Ms Machado, the clear winner of the opposition primaries.
Ms. Machado, who accuses the justice system of being at the behest of those in power, has repeatedly said she would not appeal her ban because she said she was never officially informed of it. This is despite an agreement between the opposition and the government at the end of November in negotiations in which Norway is taking part.
This dispute caused a little confusion because the American Embassy had preceded Ms. Machado to announce the appeal, while many thought she would not appeal.
Asked about the announcement, Ms. Machado said during an evening news conference: “I would have preferred to do it myself.”
“We applaud Maria Corina Machado and the other candidates for their courage and willingness to appeal their disqualification,” posted the US Embassy in Venezuela, which operates in Bogota, on the social network. The two countries have not had diplomatic relations since 2019 more after President Maduro's re-election was not recognized a year earlier.
The opposition and government delegates announced during the negotiations that they had reached an agreement on November 30 that will allow opposition candidates for the 2024 presidential election to challenge their ineligibility to vote in the Supreme Court.
Ms. Machado, a former lawmaker, was given a 15-year ban for alleged corruption and treason for supporting U.S. sanctions against Venezuela.
An agreement signed in Barbados between the opposition and the government, notably setting the date of the presidential election (second half of 2024) and allowing the presence of international observers during the vote, led to a six-month reduction in American sanctions.
However, Washington has since emphasized that lifting the bans is one of the conditions for the final lifting of sanctions.
“It is now up to Nicolas Maduro’s representatives to demonstrate their commitment to competitive and inclusive elections,” the American embassy emphasized on Friday.
The government has frequently used voting bans against opponents they believe are unconstitutional. In Venezuela, the Comptroller General – a type of auditor general – decides ineligibility, but the constitution stipulates that only a “final and final” court decision can prohibit a candidate from running for president.