US to impose new sanctions on Venezuela after election results
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Individuals expected to be sanctioned are from Venezuela's electoral body, the National Assembly, the military police, the court, and intelligence agencies.
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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro speaks with his supporters during a demonstration in Caracas, on August 3, 2024. (AFP)
The United States is expected to announce a new sanctions package against members of the Venezuelan government following the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro in the recent presidential elections, Bloomberg reported Monday.
The US Treasury Department is close to declaring the imposition of 15 individual sanctions against officials affiliated with Maduro as early as this week, the news outlet reported, based on accusations of obstructing a free and fair election.
The sanctions list is composed of members from Venezuela's electoral body, the National Assembly, the military police, the court, and intelligence. Additionally, the US plans to set separate sanctions on individuals deemed responsible for financial issues.
The US and its Western allies denounced the re-election of Maduro for his 2025-2031 term despite receiving 51% of the votes.
Neocolonial ambitions
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro was reelected last month for a third term.
Before the final vote count and audit were released, the US, EU, and other affiliated countries and prominent figures rushed to incite the Venezuelan opposition to strongly reject the results and urged the world to accept Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the winner instead.
Last Saturday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto stated that the United States is exposing its neocolonial ambitions and undermining the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people by attempting to replicate the "embarrassing Juan Guaido episode" with a second version involving Edmundo Gonzalez.
Gil Pinto further remarked that the US statements are "based on lies," which their intelligence agencies have employed for over 30 years to instigate government changes and "install puppet rulers" aligned with their interests.
He emphasized that the Venezuelan people have reaffirmed their choice of President Maduro through a free and democratic vote, demonstrating that Venezuela remains an independent state with robust institutions—a stance that has garnered appreciation and respect from the majority of nations.
"The plan of terrorism and street violence has failed, the so-called transition process has faltered, and, most importantly, the strategy of rebellion has been unsuccessful, as the democratic resolve of the Venezuelan people has triumphed."
Venezuelan top court confirms Maduro's presidential victory
The Venezuelan Supreme Court released on August 22 its final ruling on President Nicolas Maduro's disputed appeal involving the presidential elections held on July 28.
After verifying the Court's jurisdiction to settle electoral problems, Judge Caryslia Rodriguez certified the results of the elections given by Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) in an unconstrained and unequivocal way.
She read the sentence with justices Fanny Marquez and Inocencio Figueroa from the Electoral Chamber. Based on the findings of the expert assessment, Rodriguez stated that the CNE results bulletins are compatible with the reports of the election machines.
As a result, the Supreme Court confirmed that President Nicolas Maduro was reelected as President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
The Judge further emphasized that, under the rule of law, the Supreme Court has the ability to analyze election results and decide any issues that may arise. Other worldwide examples of Supreme Court involvement in electoral disputes include the presidential elections in Mexico in 2024 and Brazil in 2023.
According to Rodriguez, 33 of the 38 political organizations interested in the elections attended the Electoral Chamber's hearings and presented their electoral paperwork. She also stated that nine of 10 presidential contenders attended the hearings. Edmundo Gonzalez, the Democratic Unitary Platform's previous candidate, did not attend any hearings and was found in contempt for failing to follow the constitutional order.
During the proceedings at the Venezuelan Supreme Court, officials from the political parties that backed his presidential bid refused to produce election materials, claiming that they had not preserved electoral records.
