The United States is preparing to reimpose sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports over the failure of Nicolas Maduro's regime to ensure fair and free elections.
The US State Department announced that the deadline to renew the lifting of sanctions on the oil sector ends on Thursday, and unless there is some drastic last-minute change, the restrictions will likely go back into effect.
In October, Washington decided to partially lift restrictions on the purchase of Venezuelan oil, as a form of recognition of the progress made in negotiations between the government and the opposition to hold free, fair and competitive presidential elections. For the United States, opening a new oil supply channel has gained greater importance after the shock caused by the embargo imposed on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Venezuelan oil purchase license was valid for six months, and its renewal was contingent on an assessment of the political situation in the South American country, which is preparing to hold presidential elections on July 28.
He added: “We have made it very clear that if Maduro and his representatives do not fully adhere to the agreements reached in the negotiations in Barbados.” [entre Governo e oposição]“We will reimpose sanctions,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Tuesday. “I would say stay tuned,” he added.
The Maduro government committed to creating conditions that would enable presidential elections to be open to candidates freely chosen by the opposition, reconstitute electoral bodies and invite foreign observers.
However, Maria Corina Machado, the candidate chosen by the unionist platform in the highly-participated primary, found herself barred from running for president because she was the target of a disqualification process that the opposition says was politically motivated. the reasons.
Unable to rely on her main representative, the opposition chose academic Corinna Joris as a replacement, but her candidacy was also inexplicably blocked. At the end of a turbulent process, the Unitary Platform Party was able to make the candidacy of Edmundo González Urrutia official on an interim basis.
In parallel, the regime arrested several leaders close to Corina Machado, accused of planning attacks against Maduro. Just this week, authorities arrested well-known journalist Carlos Julio Rojas for allegedly being involved in a plot against the Venezuelan president.
The United States considers the restrictions on opposition work to be unacceptable violations of the guarantees provided by Maduro in October. In January, the White House already indicated that it may not renew the lifting of oil sanctions.
Countries in the region with governments closer to Chavismo, such as Brazil or Colombia, have also expressed concern about the Venezuelan political process.
However, the United States is unlikely to return to the “maximum pressure” strategy on the Maduro regime favored by Donald Trump. In the midst of his re-election campaign, Joe Biden wants to prevent the sharp deterioration of the Venezuelan economy from sparking a new exodus that would create more migration pressure on the southern US border.
One possibility that Washington is considering is to allow the continued sale of oil to Venezuela, but ban its sale in dollars, according to Reuters.
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