Venezuela’s Top Court Suspends Results of Opposition Presidential Primary
María Corina Machado won the primary on October 22, shortly after a series of deals in which the United States eased some sanctions on Venezuela in exchange for the Nicolás Maduro government committing to holding a free presidential election next year; the U.S. State Department said that Washington would take action if the Maduro government does not meet their commitments (WSJ)
Machado Claims Victory Following Venezuela’s Opposition Primary Vote
Preliminary results from the opposition’s presidential primary yesterday gave a wide lead to former lawmaker María Corina Machado, organizers said (AP)
The Nicolas Maduro government banned Machado from running against him in next year’s election, though last week, Venezuela agreed to respect a fair election process in exchange for the lifting of some U.S. sanctions (Reuters)
U.S. Broadly Eases Sanctions on Venezuelan Oil, Gas, Gold Following Election Deal
The broad sanctions relief is in response to a deal earlier this week between Venezuela’s government and its political opposition to hold competitive elections next year; Venezuela also freed five political prisoners in the wake of the deal (Bloomberg)
The U.S. Treasury Department warned that sanctions would be reimposed if Venezuelan officials fail to follow through on their commitments (Reuters)
Venezuela Agrees to Election Conditions for U.S. Sanctions Relief
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition met today in Barbados for the first time in eleven months to sign an agreement on electoral conditions (AP;Reuters)
The United States is set to ease sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry in exchange for more open 2024 Venezuelan elections but will reverse the relief if it does not meet its commitments (WaPo)
The opposition, which will hold an independent presidential primary election on October 22, 2023, is skeptical that Maduro will follow through on his promises (Reuters)
The deal does not include lifting bans on some opposition politicians, such as primary election frontrunner Maria Corina Machado (Reuters)
U.S. and Venezuela Reportedly Near Deal on Sanctions Relief for Resumption of Talks with Opposition
Reuters cited sources as saying the United States could allow an additional foreign oil company to accept oil for debt repayment if Caracas resumes Mexico-based talks with the opposition
U.S. To Resume Deportation Flights to Venezuela
The deportations aim to serve as a consequence for unauthorized northward migration, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said; Venezuelans were the largest group encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border last month (AP)
Separately, the Biden administration has increased legal pathways for migrants to come to the United States (PBS)
Record Number of Venezuelans Crossed U.S.-Mexico Border in September
Preliminary numbers from the Department of Homeland Security indicate that around fifty thousand Venezuelans crossed the border unlawfully last month, a dramatic increase from years past (CBS)
Venezuelan Opposition Declines Request to Delay Primary Vote
The National Electoral Council (CNE), dominated by President Nicolas Maduro’s allies, had requested a delay, but the opposition said the late October vote to decide its presidential candidate would go forward as planned; the opposition also called for the CNE to open more voting centers to support the primary election (Reuters)
UN Rights Experts: Venezuela Continues Crackdown on Dissenters
The report highlights the silencing of opposition and criticism of the government as well as a climate of fear and self-censorship that is likely to increase as presidential elections approach next year (UN News)
Venezuela Regains Control of Gang-Run Prison with Pool and Zoo
The government deployed eleven thousand security forces to wrest control of the facility from the powerful Tren de Aragua gang, which had run the Tocorón prison like a resort for its inmates for years (BBC)
U.S. Grants Temporary Work Authorization to Half a Million Venezuelans on U.S. Soil
Some 472,000 Venezuelans are due to be affected by yesterday’s decision, which grants them protection from deportation and legal authorization to work for eighteen months; Venezuelan asylum seekers in the United States had previously faced a long backlog for work authorization (NYT)
Chinese State Media: Upgrading Relations With Venezuela to “All-Weather” Partnership
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is currently on his fifth state visit to Beijing, which has contributed tens of billions of dollars in loans, grants, and investment to Venezuela’s economy (AP)
Government Bond Prices Rally Amid Talk of Sanctions Relief
Bonds are now trading at ten to eleven cents on the dollar, up from eight to nine cents a few weeks ago (FT)
U.S., Venezuela in Talks Over Potential Sanctions Relief for Democratic Concessions
The U.S. government is offering sanctions relief to the Nicolás Maduro administration if it takes steps to restore democracy in Venezuela, including guaranteeing conditions for free and fair elections that are scheduled for 2024; Washington is also pushing for Caracas to release political prisoners (Bloomberg)
Venezuelan Supreme Court Restructures Red Cross Branch
The court dismissed the organization’s president and board of directors but said that its work will continue; the International Federation of the Red Cross called on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to stop the intervention from proceeding (Reuters)
Former Venezuelan Intelligence Chief Extradited to United States
Hugo Carvajal, who headed Venezuela’s military intelligence department, will face drug trafficking charges in federal court (Reuters)
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and France Hold Meeting on Venezuelan Impasse
The countries’ leaders met on the sidelines of a Brussels summit with representatives of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro government and the opposition in an effort to break Venezuela’s political standoff; negotiations between the Venezuelan government and the opposition have stalled since November 2022 (Bloomberg)
Venezuelan Lawmaker: European Union Not Allowed to Observe 2024 Elections
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called observers spies in 2018 for criticizing that year’s presidential election, and several top Venezuelan opposition candidates have already been disqualified from the 2024 race (Reuters)
Meanwhile, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the extradition to the United States of a former Venezuelan military intelligence director on drug trafficking charges would go forward (Reuters)
Venezuelan Opposition Candidates Call for Unity in Primary Debate
Presidential hopefuls emphasized the importance of rallying behind a single candidate to challenge the ruling party; three candidates have already been barred from running (Reuters)
Caribbean Trade Bloc Criticizes U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela
During a Caricom summit, regional leaders called for the removal of sanctions, which prevent them from purchasing discounted oil under the Petrocaribe deal with Venezuela (AP)
Venezuela to Regulate Private Shipments of Foreign Goods
The shipments, which arrive by courier, began as a way to circumvent shortages, but Venezuela now plans to raise taxes on them amid sanctions and a struggling oil industry; the move will raise prices for consumers still grappling with high inflation, which reached 429 percent over the last twelve months (Reuters)
Top Venezuelan Opposition Candidate Barred from Presidential Election
Venezuela banned María Corina Machado from holding public office for fifteen years, though she says the ban will not stop her from campaigning (Bloomberg)
The United States and the Organization of American States condemned the decision, and Venezuela responded by calling the comments interference in its internal affairs (FT;Reuters)
ICC Greenlights Continuation of Probe Into Venezuela Rights Abuses
The International Criminal Court (ICC) ordered that an investigation into alleged human rights abuses by officials in the Nicolás Maduro government should proceed after it had previously been paused (El País)
Fourteen Opposition Candidates to Compete in Venezuelan Primaries
María Corina Machado, a former member of the National Assembly, leads polls, and former governor Henrique Capriles Radonski is expected to be another top contender in the October primary (Bloomberg)
U.S. Envoy Visits Venezuela for Prisoner Negotiations
Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstensis is reportedly holding talks with the Venezuelan president about the possible release of imprisoned U.S. citizens (Bloomberg)