In a joint statement, the governments of Costa Rica, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic, as members of the Alliance for Development in Democracy, expressed their disapproval of the disqualification of Venezuelan opposition candidate María Corina Machado by the Supreme Court of Justice. Machado has been barred from public functions for 15 years.
The governments emphasized that this measure undermines the prospect of holding free and transparent elections with full guarantees for all Venezuelan actors. They asserted the importance of respecting the will of the Venezuelan people and ensuring the participation of the candidate elected by the majority in the October 2023 primaries.
The rejection of the 15-year disqualification for Henrique Capriles was also conveyed, accompanied by a call for the Venezuelan government to adhere to the obligations of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. They urged a reversal of the ban on candidates, aligning with the objectives of the Barbados agreements.
Nicolás Maduro, in his weekly program ‘Con Maduro +,’ reiterated the Supreme Court’s decision, emphasizing compliance with the mechanism agreed upon during the Barbados negotiations. He accused anti-Chavismo of partially breaching the pact by protesting against the Supreme Court’s verdict.
Despite external pressures, Maduro asserted the functionality of Venezuela’s institutions and reaffirmed the inevitability of elections this year. Responding to Machado’s determination to participate in the presidential elections, Maduro emphasized that the democratic future of Venezuela will not be determined by oligarchies or surnames. He assured the people of Venezuela that their right to participate in the 2024 presidential elections will not be denied.