Venezuela Accuses US of Blackmail Over Sanctions; Nicolas Maduro Back to Old Tricks as Election Approaches

The Venezuela government is not happy after the Biden administration reinstated some of the sanctions it recently lifted after President Nicolas Maduro broke his promise to conduct a free and fair election.

The reinstatement of sanctions came after the Maduro-aligned Venezuela Supreme Court ruled that opposition candidate Maria Corina Machado, who is supposed to run against Nicolas Maduro later this year, is ineligible to hold public office yet again. This, along with Maduro's recent accusations and attacks on the opposition, eventually led to the reinstatement of sanctions against Venezuela.

Following the return of the sanctions, Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodriguez slammed the US government, posting on social media, "All of Venezuela rejects the rude and improper blackmail and ultimatum expressed by the US government."

Rodriguez then threatened to cancel their agreed-upon repatriation flights should the US reimpose even more sanctions, saying, "If they take the wrong step of intensifying the economic aggression against Venezuela ... as of February 13 repatriation flights for Venezuelan migrants would be immediately canceled."

She is talking about the repatriation flights for Venezuelan migrants deported from the US amid the migrant crisis. This was part of the deal between Nicolas Maduro and President Joe Biden, who had the autocrat finally agree to help out in dealing with the migrant crisis.

In this latest round of sanctions, the US targeted the Venezuelan oil and gas industry, and Vice President Rodriguez claimed that this was a "deliberate attempt to strike a blow" to these two major Venezuelan industries.

Nicolas Maduro Back to Old Tricks, From Repression of Political Opponents to Jailing Journalists

Nicolas Maduro is once again claiming that there is an assassination plot against him and has blamed it on Machado and other opposition members, leading to the arrest of some of them. The Associated Press noted that this just means the Venezuelan election is near, as Maduro has been doing these every time an election approaches.

Venezuela has already promised its people that an election will indeed happen in the second half of 2024. However, despite Maduro promising the US that the elections will be free and fair, he has been using government resources to prosecute his opponents, including for that so-called assassination plot against him. That, coupled with Machado's recent reaffirmation of her ban, has made the "free and fair" claim questionable.

Venezuela Opposition More Popular Than Nicolas Maduro Administration Right Now

These recent disruptions from Maduro as the election approaches also come as the Venezuelan opposition is gaining steam and becoming more and more popular with the people amid the country's social and economic crises.

According to Americas Quarterly, more and more Venezuelans identify with the opposition, as a new poll showed. This means that many Venezuelans may now be tired of Maduro in this crisis-gripped country, which used to be one of the emerging powers in South America thanks to its oil resources but has since deteriorated, with a mass exodus of citizens opting for a better life in the US, thereby causing the US migrant crisis.

READ MORE: Guyana Culture: Essequibo Identifies More as Guyanase and Not With Venezuela

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Why the U.S. is reinstating Venezuela sanctions - CBS News