Tweet from US government injects confusion into Venezuela's 2024 presidential election

U.S. diplomats have injected confusion into next year’s presidential election in Venezuela by applauding the purported inclination of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and other foes of the Venezuelan government to appeal their bans on running for...

CARACAS, Venezuela -- U.S. diplomats on Friday injected confusion into next year’s presidential election in Venezuela by applauding the purported inclination of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and other government foes to appeal their bans on running for office.

A tweet from the U.S. government’s unit that oversees Venezuelan affairs praised Machado’s “courage and willingness” to appeal the ban. She had previously shown no willingness to file an appeal, and it was not immediately clear Friday evening whether she had now filed a petition with the country’s highest court.

Two of her campaign advisers and a spokeswoman as well as a spokeswoman for the U.S. Venezuela Affairs Unit did not respond to requests for comment.

Machado won the Oct. 22 presidential primary held by a faction of the opposition backed by the U.S. government, getting about 94% of the votes cast.

The election was organized by an independent commission with no support from the government, which allowed Machado to appear on the ballot even though President Nicolas Maduro's administration banned her from running for office three days after she officially entered the race.