White House 'deeply concerned' about crackdown on Corina Yoris' candidacy in Venezuela

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre gave a press conference on Tuesday in which she aligned the position of the United States with the rest of the Latin American countries regarding the elections in Venezuela. After Brazil and Colombia, the White House said it was "deeply concerned" by the decision of the Venezuelan electoral authority, which is closely aligned with dictator Nicolás Maduro, to "prevent the registration of the candidacy" of opposition candidate Corina Yoris for the presidential elections.

"It is critical that the Maduro regime recognize and respect the right of all candidates to run," added Karine Jean-Pierre during a press conference, in statements published by AFP. The Venezuelan opposition, led by María Corina Machado, is struggling to achieve a fair shot in the upcoming July elections in Venezuela. The Venezuelan National Electoral Council banned the leader's candidacy. A second candidate (supported by Machado), Corina Yoris, was then presented, who was also rejected.

The opaque and arbitrary decision by the electoral authority, in collusion with the government, provoked a wave of indignation across the Western world throughout this week. Several countries expressed their concern Monday over the Maduro regime blocking his opposition. This Tuesday, Brazil and Colombia, two countries with socialist governments and normally close to Maduro, joined in the criticism.