Venezuela’s high court on Monday suspended the results of an opposition primary election and ordered organizers to hand over documents, including voting records, despite the government’s previous agreement to hold free elections.
The court ruled the opposition’s Oct. 22 primary election—which was meant to let voters choose an opposition candidate to run against socialist leader Nicolás Maduro next year—may be in violation of the law.
“All effects of the different phases of the electoral process conducted by the National Primary Commission are suspended,” the court said in its ruling on Oct. 30.
The National Primary Commission, an independent body designed to organize the opposition’s primary, was ordered by the court to hand over all documents relating to the primary, including voting records.
The court also ratified the bans imposed by Mr. Maduro’s government on three opposition candidates, including the Oct. 22 primary front-runner Maria Corina Machado, on running for office.
Washington has urged Venezuela to define a specific timeline and process for the expedited reinstatement of all candidates. It also called for the release of all wrongfully detained U.S. nationals and Venezuelan political prisoners.
“All who want to run for President should be allowed the opportunity, and are entitled to a level electoral playing field, to freedom of movement, and to assurances for their physical safety,” the State Department said.
“Failure to abide by the terms of this arrangement will lead the United States to reverse steps we have taken,” it added.
Mr. Maduro and his allies have ridiculed and minimized the primary all year, but they escalated their attacks after the election exceeded participation expectations. More than 2.4 million Venezuelans voted, the majority of whom voted for Ms. Machado.
At least 2.3 million people voted within Venezuela and more than 132,000 did so abroad. Ms. Machado, a former lawmaker and longtime government foe, obliterated the competition and was officially declared the winner on Oct. 26 after earning more than 90 percent of the vote.
‘Desperate Attempt’ to Intimidate Opposition
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) has called the primary suspension a “desperate attempt to intimidate the leader of the opposition” and urged the Biden administration to denounce it.The U.S. lawmaker called Mr. Maduro “a vicious and oppressive dictator” and accused the Venezuelan leader of “weaponizing his government against his own people.”
“The United States must unequivocally denounce today’s decision and coordinate an international response to this grave affront against Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement,” he said in a statement. “The Biden Administration must also reverse its decision to lift sanctions and instead leverage every diplomatic tool to hold the Maduro regime accountable.”
Venezuela has been under significant sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump in 2019 in response to Mr. Maduro’s corruption. However, the Biden administration has sought to improve relations with the South American nation, which is home to the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
