The Biden administration is considering imposing sanctions on dozens of Venezuelan officials and their family members in the wake of Nicolás Maduro's fraud
Members of the National Electoral Council (CNE), the Supreme Court of Justice, and the military counterintelligence police are among the officials targeted.
Nicolás Maduro, during a cabinet meeting with the National Defense Council and the Council of State at the Foreign Ministry building in Caracas.
The U.S. government prepared a preliminary list of 60 officials of Nicolás Maduro's regime and their family members who could face sanctions due to their involvement in anti-democratic acts during the July 28 elections. This list, still subject to change, reflects Washington's firm stance of holding accountable those who "enabled electoral fraud and repression" in Venezuela.
Possible sanctions on key officials
According to reports, the officials targeted include members of the National Electoral Council (CNE), the Supreme Court of Justice and the military counterintelligence police. These individuals are accused of contributing to the electoral manipulation and violence that has followed the elections. If implemented, the sanctions would prohibit these officials and their family members from traveling to the United States and conducting business with U.S. entities.
Washington's position
The U.S. Treasury Department delivered the draft list to the State Department, but no details have been provided as to when the final names will be confirmed or when the sanctions will be implemented. Meanwhile, Joe Biden's administration continues to press its international allies for the regime-controlled CNE to release the voting records and end the violence against citizens demanding respect for their will expressed at the ballot box.
Sanctions
Maduro's regime has already been sanctioned in the past. Five years ago, the harshest sanctions hit Venezuela's oil sector hard. In April this year, the U.S. Treasury Department decided not to renew a license that allowed Venezuela to export oil without restrictions. Instead, it granted individual permits to some energy companies, further limiting the country's export options.
In addition to the oil sector, the Maduro regime has faced other sanctions, including asset freezes, travel bans on senior officials, financial restrictions, and targeted sanctions on sectors such as mining and telecommunications.
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