Venezuela’s opposition accuses Maduro government of ‘repressive escalation’ as court upholds election ban on candidate

Chief negotiator Gerardo Blyde says Maduro’s government had an obligation to hold free elections, and “it’s not happening.’

The chief negotiator for Venezuela’s opposition has accused Nicolas Maduro’s government of a “repressive escalation” ahead of presidential elections this year, after the Supreme Court upheld a ban against the opposition candidate Maria Corina Machado. Speaking at a press conference in Caracas on Saturday, Gerardo Blyde said Maduro’s government had an obligation to hold free elections, “such as inviting international observers and setting a date for the vote.” “It’s not happening, and instead they’re using the power of the state to begin a repressive escalation,” Blyde said. He also rejected any claims that the opposition was seeking to forcefully remove Maduro from power. Both the opposition and the United States have accused the Maduro government of repudiating a historic agreement signed in Barbados in October 2023 – in which Maduro pledged to hold free and fair elections in exchange for sanctions relief, among other conditions. Supported by the United States, the opposition and Maduro struck a deal in October 2023 known as the Barbados Agreement, which saw 10 Americans released from detention in Venezuela in exchange for the release of one of Maduro’s allies. As part of the deal, Venezuela agreed to hold free and fair elections in 2024 in exchange for sanctions relief.