Venezuela's Supreme Justice Tribunal on Monday announced that it would be suspending the opposition presidential primary, including its results, despite an electoral deal.
The court's ruling could potentially risk the wrath of the United States, which rolled back some oil and gas industry and bond trading sanctions this month in exchange for the electoral deal. The U.S. State Department had previously said that it would reinstate sanctions.
Venezuela Suspends Opposition Primary Election
Venezuela's high court ruled for the suspension of the opposition primary election despite an electoral deal that lets both sides of the government choose their candidates.
The warning urges President Nicolas Maduro's government to lift bans on some opposition candidates and free political prisoners as well as "wrongfully detained" Americans by the end of November.
The court's decision comes after the attorney general last week announced that his office is investigating the primary and members of its organizing commission for electoral violations, financial crimes, and conspiracy. The situation comes as the opposition views the court as an arm of the government.
On Monday, members of the organizing commission were meeting with prosecutors for interviews related to the case. The opposition and the primary's winner, Maria Corina Machado, have repeatedly insisted that the Oct. 22 vote was transparent and fair, as per Reuters.
On the other hand, the government has decried alleged fraud since the day of the vote, which was organized without the help of the state and has attracted more than 2.3 million voters. Maduro's government, which has been in power for a decade, as well as the opposition, signed an electoral deal in Barbados.
The two sides agreed to international observers and that each side would be able to choose its candidate according to internal rules. A State Department spokesperson said that the U.S. government was urging Maduro and his representatives to uphold the commitments that they made at the signing of the electoral deal.
Lawmaker Jose Brito was the one who requested the investigation as well as the ruling and he is said to want to participate in the primary. On the tribunal's website, it said that all of the distinct phases of the electoral process conducted by the National Primary Commission were suspended following the request for preventative protection.
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Disregarding the Electoral Deal
Maduro and his allies have ridiculed and minimized the primary throughout the year but the attacks have escalated after the election exceeded participation expectations. The country's high court ordered organizers to hand over all ballots, tally sheets, and so-called voting notebooks, according to ABC News.
These notebooks were signed by every voter after poll workers verified their identity. The court also ratified the bans that were imposed by the president's government on three candidates, including Machado, on running for office.
An attorney, law professor, and primary candidate, Tamara Adrian, said that the court should not have admitted the appeal by Brito in the first place. He argued that this was because it did not meet legal requirements.
Adrian also questioned the court's demand for voter notebooks given that "what Brito requested, which was to suspend the (primary(, has already occurred." This particular demand could reignite the country's long-held fears over voter secrecy, said the Associated Press.
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