CARACAS.- He former president of the Spanish government, José María Aznarexpressed this Monday his support for the Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machadoafter the Nicolás Maduro regimethrough a ruling from the Supreme Court, decided to maintain the disqualification measure that does not allow her to run as a candidate in the presidential elections to be held in 2024.
Aznar affirmed that the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), a body controlled by the regime, was not a surprise. For the former president of the Spanish Government, the Maduro regime was not going to comply with the Barbados agreement.
“I fully support María Corina Machado. This decision is not a surprise because I am convinced that everything that could come out of the Barbados agreement was going to be totally frustrated,” said Aznar, in statements to El Nacional.
In that sense, he also maintained that “with dictators, any negotiation ends badly. The Barbados agreements are demonstrating this.”
He added that “it remains to resume initiatives and reconfirm that we are not going to remain still or silent when there are abuses so that there are no free elections and to eliminate the candidate María Corina Machado.”
Aznar defended that in Venezuela “there are free elections (…) I defend that María Corina Machado be a candidate in those elections. Therefore, I support María Corina and the holding of free elections in Venezuela.”
Judicial crime
This Monday, Machado accused Maduro of violating the Barbados agreements who established the electoral roadmap between the delegations of the regime and the opposition and affirmed that he is still in the race despite the fact that the Supreme Court ratified his disqualification from holding public office.
“Whether Maduro wants it or not, he will have to face me,” Machado said in a press conference.
Machado, 56, won the opposition presidential primaries in October with more than 92% of the votes. His victory came despite the regime announcing his disqualification a few days after he formally entered the race.
“Maduro will not choose the candidate” of the opposition for the presidential elections scheduled for the second half of 2024, said Machado, who does not recognize the disqualification and has continued to campaign, arguing that he never received official notification of the ban.
Gerardo Blyde, head of the opposition delegation that participated in the Barbados talks in October, demanded the reversal of the decision over the weekend and denounced the violation of the agreement reached with the regime to hold competitive elections.
The US State Department noted on Saturday that Machado’s disqualification “is incongruent” with the Maduro regime’s commitment to holding free and fair presidential elections.
Washington highlighted that it is “reviewing” the policy of sanctions against Venezuela as a consequence of the court ruling and recent actions against opponents, including members of Machado’s campaign team, human rights activists and journalists.
Source: EDITORIAL / With information from elnacional.com
