In a statement signed by 30 former heads of state and government and released on Saturday, the Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas —an international non-governmental forum— dismissed the measure against Machado, assuring that “only popular sovereignty under a regime of the Rule of Law enables or disables representative functions”.
The forum indicated that this action would contrast with a pronouncement of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights —of July 8, 2020— by which “dismissal and disqualification can only be imposed by a competent judge after conviction in criminal proceedings.”
The Comptroller General of Venezuela reported the day before that it disqualified Machado by assuring that the opposition presidential candidate was a participant in an alleged corruption plot orchestrated by opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who proclaimed himself interim president in 2019 when he led the National Assembly. At the same time, the supervisory body accused her of hiding information about her assets after the cessation of her functions as her deputy. She did not present evidence.
Machado has not been part of the Legislature since 2014, and was a fierce critic of Guaidó within the opposition ranks.
The US State Department stated the day before that Machado’s disqualification from participating in the electoral process “deprives the Venezuelan people of basic political rights.”
In a statement, the State Department called for “free and fair elections in 2024” for the “restoration of its democratic institutions” and the end of the “humanitarian crisis” in Venezuela. He also stated that he will remain vigilant of the process.
The Caracas government “firmly” rejected the US pronouncement, which it described as “a new attempt to meddle… in internal affairs.”
In a statement released on Saturday, he assured that “the robust democracy” of Venezuela does not require or accept “tutelage” from other nations, much less from those, as he indicated, “moved” by economic interests.
Machado, a 55-year-old industrial engineer, had formalized her registration for the October 22 primaries, in which the opposition seeks to elect a single candidate to face President Maduro in next year’s elections. The National Council of Primaries also rejected the announcement of the day before and said that it is a repeated “attempt to prevent the free expression of the will of the voters.”
FUENTE: Associated Press
