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Nicolás Maduro Moros  is serving as the president of Venezuela since 2013.  / Photo via Voice of America Journal.

Costa Rica rejects Venezuela's president reelection



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Published on Monday, January 13, 2025
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff and wire services




Costa Rica joined the United States and nine Latin American countries on Friday to issue a joint statement rejecting the Venezuela Supreme Court's certification of President Nicolás Maduro's July 28 re-election, widely rejected at home and abroad.



The governments of Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, the United States, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic and Uruguay said the court's ruling was invalidated by a "lack of independence and impartiality."



The nations said they "categorically reject" the Supreme Court announcement and its bid to "validate the unsubstantiated results issued by the electoral body."



The United States imposed sanctions Friday on eight Venezuelan officials and increased to $25 million the reward it is offering for the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro, according to a report published by Voice of America Journal (VOA).



The actions came on the day of Maduro’s inauguration to a third term following a disputed election last year.



It was the latest in a series of punitive steps by the outgoing Biden administration against Maduro's government in the aftermath of the July vote, which both his ruling Socialist party and the OPEC nation's opposition claim to have won.



The new officials sanctioned include the recently appointed head of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, Hector Obregon, and Venezuela's transportation minister, Ramon Velasquez.



The U.S. move coincided with sanctions announced by Britain and the European Union.






Maduro and his aides have always rejected sanctions by the U.S. and others, saying they are illegitimate measures that amount to an "economic war" designed to cripple Venezuela. He and his allies have cheered what they say is the country’s resilience despite the measures, although they have historically blamed some economic hardships and shortages on sanctions.



The country's electoral authority and top court claim Maduro, whose time in office has been marked by a deep economic and social crisis, won last year's presidential vote, although they have not published detailed tallies.



The government, which has accused the opposition of fomenting fascist plots against it, said it will arrest opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez should he return to the country from exile and has detained prominent opposition members and activists in the lead-up to the inauguration.



The opposition says Gonzalez, 75, won in a landslide. It has published its own vote tallies as evidence, winning support from governments around the world, including the United States, who consider Gonzalez the president-elect. International election observers have said the vote was unfair.



Maduro, 62, has been in power since 2013, and the new sanctions come a little more than a week before U.S. President Joe Biden will end his term and be succeeded by Donald Trump on Jan. 20.



In addition to the sanctions, the U.S. government increased to $25 million the reward it is offering for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Maduro, who has long faced U.S. drug trafficking charges. The reward was $15 million.



Maduro has held onto power despite heavy pressure from successive U.S. administrations, retaining the support of Venezuela's military as well as China, Russia and Iran.



The new measures had been in the works before the brief detention Thursday of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado following an anti-government march in Caracas, her first public appearance after months out of the public eye.



Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez who claims he won last year’s presidential election against Maduro met with U.S. President Joe Biden last week.




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How could the Venezuelans depose President Nicolás Maduro without the support of the army?  We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com


 








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