Venezuela’s Supreme Justice Tribunal suspends the results of an opposition presidential primary

Venezuela’s Supreme Justice Tribunal announced on Monday that it has suspended the results of an opposition presidential primary held earlier this month, despite an electoral agreement between the government and the opposition that allows each side to select its candidate.

This decision could potentially anger the United States, which recently eased some sanctions on Venezuela’s oil and gas industry and bond trading in exchange for the electoral deal.

The U.S. State Department has warned that it will reimpose sanctions unless President Nicolas Maduro’s government lifts bans on certain opposition candidates, releases political prisoners, and frees Americans who are “wrongfully detained” by the end of November.

The tribunal’s ruling, considered by the opposition to be an extension of the government, follows the announcement by the attorney general last week that his office is investigating the primary and members of its organizing commission for electoral violations, financial crimes, and conspiracy.

Members of the organizing commission were interviewed by prosecutors on Monday in connection with the case, according to the commission’s statement on social media.

The opposition, as well as the primary’s winner, Maria Corina Machado, have consistently asserted that the October 22nd vote was transparent and fair.

The government, on the other hand, has alleged fraud from the day of the vote, which was organized without state assistance and attracted over 2.3 million voters.

Maduro’s government and the opposition reached an electoral agreement in Barbados, which included provisions for international observers and the selection of candidates by each side according to their internal rules.

A State Department spokesperson urged Nicolas Maduro and his representatives to uphold the commitments they made in the political roadmap agreement, stating that the U.S. government would take action if those commitments were not met.

The investigation and the ruling were initiated at the request of lawmaker Jose Brito, who was said to want to participate in the primary, despite not belonging to any of the participating parties.

The tribunal’s statement on its website declared the suspension of all effects related to the electoral process conducted by the National Primary Commission based on the request for preventative protection.

The commission is required to provide all documents associated with its formation, candidate registration, voting records, and other records, as per the tribunal’s directive.

The commission must also account for the participation of candidates like Machado, who is disqualified from holding public office, a decision the opposition considers illegal.

Legal experts commented that the ruling “temporarily suspends the primary until there is a final decision from the tribunal,” but some observers believe that the opposition parties that participated in the primary should merely reinstate Machado as their unity candidate, potentially rendering any ruling on the contest moot.

This month, the opposition declined the electoral authorities’ offer of assistance in organizing the primary and requested a delay until November, citing the authorities’ months-long delay in responding to the opposition’s assistance request.