The United States has reimposed oil and gas sanctions on Venezuela after President Nicolas Maduro reneged on his commitments to follow an election roadmap that offered a chance for the Venezuelan people to return to democratic governance.
In October 2023 under the Barbados Agreement, Maduro and representatives of Venezuelan opposition parties pledged to work toward free and fair elections in the second half of 2024. Maduro promised to establish a timetable for the election and to allow members of the opposition to run for office without arbitrary restrictions.
Although a date for the election has been set, July 28, many more of the provisions of the Barbados Agreement remain unfulfilled: the Maduro government has arrested members of the democratic opposition and barred candidates from running, including Maduro’s most popular competitor for the presidency Maria Corina Machado. In addition, Maduro has arbitrarily detained and violated the due process rights of many individuals critical of his government, including members of the democratic opposition, civil society, former members of the military, and journalists.
In a statement announcing the U.S. decision to reimpose sanctions by allowing General License 44 to expire on April 18, the State Department said, “Despite delivering on some of the commitments made under the Barbados electoral roadmap, we are concerned that Maduro and his representatives prevented the democratic opposition from registering the candidate of their choice, harassed and intimidated political opponents, and unjustly detained numerous political actors and members of civil society. We again call on Maduro to allow all candidates and parties to participate in the electoral process and release all political prisoners without restrictions or delay.”
Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters, “The full implementation of the Barbados Agreement … offers the best path to restore democracy that Venezuelans deserve:"
“We think it will help improve economic and humanitarian conditions, and also address the migration crisis. … We’re going to continue to support Venezuelans’ aspirations for a more democratic, stable, and prosperous Venezuela, while remaining fully committed to working with all parties interested in competitive elections.”
Spokesperson Patel declared the United States will “coordinate with regional and international partners in support of this Barbados Agreement that we continue to think is key to get Venezuela on a democratic, stable, and prosperous path.”
