María Colina Machado, incumbent President Maduro's fiercest opponent, has been expelled from public office on corruption charges.
Venezuela's presidential election will be held on July 28, and President Nicolás Maduro is expected to run again, according to election authorities, although he is unlikely to have a strong opponent.
The dates announced on Tuesday come after Maduro's government and the opposition agreed in October to hold a free and fair vote on the Caribbean island of Barbados in 2024 in the presence of international observers. It was chosen by the ruling coalition's National Electoral Council.
But in January, the country's highest court upheld an injunction to prevent popular opposition presidential candidate Maria Colina Machado from running.
Machado, a former lawmaker, formally ran in June in a presidential primary held by the opposition party in October last year, only days after the government announced a 15-year ban on her running for president. Despite this, he won with over 90% of the vote.
Her campaign has not commented on the election date announcement, but the 56-year-old industrial engineer and longtime government opponent has previously vowed to remain in the race after the ban. The March 25 candidate registration deadline could force opposition parties to act.
The United States, which supports some factions of the opposition coalition, suspended Machado and reimposed sanctions on Caracas just as the two countries began to mend relations. In January, the U.S. government banned American companies from doing business with Venezuela's state-run mining company, Minerva. OPEC members also face the possibility that their recently restored oil trade pact with the United States will expire on April 18, unless Machado is allowed to remain in office.
The U.S. government initially lifted long-standing sanctions on the country in October, conditional on a prisoner exchange and easing of electoral agreements between President Maduro and the rebels.
Opposition members expressed doubts at the time whether the president would follow through on the deal. In December, the United States pardoned Maduro-allied Colombian businessman Alex Saab, who is being held in a Miami prison awaiting trial on money laundering charges, in exchange for 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country. Gave.
Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, was re-elected to a six-year term in a 2018 vote that was largely criticized as fraudulent by opposition parties, the United States and others.
Just months after relations between Washington and Caracas thaw, Maduro's government reversed course in February, shutting down the UN human rights office and arresting activists.
A December survey by independent pollster Delphos found that support for the president had declined slightly, with 25% of people saying they would vote for his ruling Socialist Party, down from 30% a year earlier.
July 28th is the birthday of Maduro's mentor and predecessor, the late President Hugo Chávez, who died in 2013.