MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥 Venezuela鈥檚 government and a faction of the opposition have agreed on a process through which aspiring presidential candidates who were banned from running for office can attempt to get that decision reversed. The timeline to file an appeal opened Friday.
The agreement, released late Thursday by negotiators from each side and the Norwegian diplomats guiding the dialogue, gives the candidates until Dec. 15 to challenge their ban 鈥 a tool the Venezuelan government has repeatedly used to sideline adversaries, including most recently against opposition leader and presidential candidate .
The deal is part of a between a U.S.-backed opposition group and the government of Nicol谩s Maduro focused on electoral conditions ahead of the 2024 presidential election. It is also expected to keep the U.S. government from re-imposing some economic sanctions on Maduro鈥檚 administration.
The October agreement triggered some sanctions relief in the oil, gas, and mining sectors. But the U.S. government, aware that Maduro has breached agreements before, threatened to reverse some of the relief if Venezuela's government failed to establish by the end of November a timeline and process to quickly reinstate all candidates.
The agreement announced Thursday instructs interested candidates to file an appeal in person before the electoral chamber of Venezuela鈥檚 top court, which is stacked with judges who are loyal to the government and just over a month ago .
The steps outlined in the agreement also force interested appellants into a quasi-gag order, banning them from incorporating 鈥渙ffensive or disrespectful concepts against the institutions of the State鈥 in their appeal and public statements.
The document leaves open to interpretation what constitutes offensive or disrespectful comments. It also lacks a timeline for the judges to rule on the request, stating only that they would do so 鈥渋n accordance with the principles of speed, efficiency and effectiveness included in the Constitution.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 just really puzzling, it鈥檚 really thin, and it鈥檚 really quite comical in many senses,鈥 said Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been demanding this process, but this is essentially tantamount to Maduro telling us when in the future he decides to make an executive decision on candidate bans.鈥
Despite the process's lack of clarity, Berg said, it seems likely 鈥渢hat's going to be sufficient鈥 for the Biden administration to hold off on snapback sanctions review.
Machado, a former lawmaker and longtime government foe, won the opposition鈥檚 presidential primary with more than 90% of support. The government announced a 15-year ban against Machado days after she had formally entered the race, but she was able to participate in the election because the effort was organized by a commission that received no help from Venezuela鈥檚 electoral authorities.
Machado鈥檚 campaign on Friday declined to comment on the appeal process. Her ban and accuses her of seeking the economic sanctions the U.S. imposed on Venezuela.
鈥淥n Oct. 22, people took care of the irrational attempt to block me,鈥 she told supporters Thursday before the agreement was announced. 鈥淭he only thing that matters to me is what people think. The only thing I am dedicated to ... is to build this citizen force that is going to defeat Nicol谩s Maduro or whoever they feel like putting against me.鈥
A United Nations-backed panel investigating human rights abuses in Venezuela earlier this year said Maduro鈥檚 government has . That includes subjecting some politicians, human rights defenders and other opponents to detention, surveillance, threats, defamatory campaigns and arbitrary criminal proceedings.
Negotiations between Maduro鈥檚 government and the U.S.-backed opposition Unitary Platform, began in 2021 in Mexico City with the mediation of Norwegian diplomats. But the dialogue stalled at various points.
From the start, Maduro demanded that the U.S. drop economic sanctions and unfreeze Venezuelan funds held overseas. The opposition sought guarantees for the election to avoid conditions in previous votes that were widely considered to favor pro-government candidates.
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