Venezuela’s Supreme Justice Tribunal has upheld a ban preventing presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado from holding office, disrupting the opposition’s plans for the upcoming elections, Reuters reports.
The court cited allegations that Machado supported US sanctions, engaged in corruption, and caused financial losses to Venezuela’s foreign assets. The decision came shortly after three of Machado’s allies were detained on charges of conspiracy.
The upheld ban on Machado could strain relations between Venezuela and the US. The US has linked the continuation of sanctions relief to the release of political prisoners and making progress in lifting bans on opposition politicians.
