Florida Politicians have thrashed the Venezuelan government’s recent banning of Venezuelan Presidential hopeful Maria Corina Machado.
Machado has been actively campaigning against the current Nicolas Maduro regime in preparation for Venezuela’s upcoming 2024 presidential elections.
On June 30th, the Venezuelan government barred Machado from participating in the upcoming elections. Maduro’s regime cited Machado’s support for US sanctions against Venezuela and former regime opponent Juan Guaido as justifying her ban.
Machado has termed her ban as “useless” and as inciting increased citizen resentment towards the government.
Una INÚTIL “inhabilitación” que sólo demuestra que el régimen sabe que YA está DERROTADO.
Ahora votaremos con más fuerza, más rebeldía y más ganas en las Primarias.
Aquí quién HABILITA es el pueblo de Venezuela.
Hasta el final es HASTA EL FINAL! pic.twitter.com/wRof639noG
— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) June 30, 2023
“Now we will vote with more passion, rebelliousness, and desire in the Primaries,” said Machado.
International condemnation has followed her ban by the Venezuelan government. In the US, Senator Marco Rubio discredited the upcoming Venezuelan elections as “a complete scam”.
Senator Rubio denounced Machado’s banning and warned that “any organization or government that recognizes (Venezuelan) elections as legitimate is an accomplice of the regime.”
The Maduro narco-regime has banned one the bravest & boldest political leaders in the world @MariaCorinaYA from running for any public office for 15 years
The upcoming promised “elections” in #Venezuela are a complete scam
And any organization or government that recognizes…
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 30, 2023
Additionally, United States State Department Spokesman Mather Miller lamented Machado’s banning.
“The United States supports the Venezuelan people’s constitutional right to elect their leaders via free and fair elections. Today’s decision to disqualify Maria Corina Machado from participating in the electoral process deprives the Venezuelan people of basic political rights,” said Miller.
However, in Florida, the White House’s lack of direct criticism towards the Venezuelan regime’s latest ploy has angered conservatives.
U.S. Representative Maria Salazar asked where the “loud and clear message from the Biden Administration was”.
¿Dónde está el mensaje alto y claro de la Administración Biden? ¿Hasta cuándo los tiranos seguirán haciendo de las suyas sin consecuencias?
Estados Unidos ha perdido la brújula en su defensa de la democracia. ¡Muy mal estamos! https://t.co/nXuwUi2MrS
— María Elvira Salazar 🇺🇸 (@MaElviraSalazar) June 30, 2023
“The United States has lost its compass to defend Democracy,” said Salazar.
Venezuela is subject to a barrage of US sanctions severely limiting many, if not all, Venezuelan exports from American shores. Chief among these are Venezuelan oil exports.
While the Biden administration has permitted increased oil transactions between Venezuela and the United States, the former’s oil aspirations in the West are still largely handicapped.
Lately, Venezuela has increased its ties with Russia over shared US Sanctions. Maduro hosted Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov last month and they agreed to expand cooperation in various areas, including oil, health, agriculture, and new technologies.
As such, Venezuela has imitated Russian strategies for offsetting losses derived from US sanctions on its oil exports. Both nations have become experts at skirting oil sanctions: re-directing crude exports to Asia rather than the West; recruiting undercover tankers that literally operate “under the radar” to illegally transport oil, and developing obscure supply chains that continue to keep oil flows, exports and cash coming in.
