Both the Twenty-Seven and the United States announced a series of sanctions against senior officials of the Venezuelan government after Maduro was sworn in.
The European Union (EU) denounced on Friday that Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in as president before the Venezuelan parliament today, lacks “the legitimacy” of a “democratically elected” leader.
“The Venezuelan authorities have lost an important opportunity to respect the will of the people and guarantee a transparent democratic transition with guarantees for all. Nicolás Maduro therefore lacks the legitimacy of a democratically elected president,” the head of community diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, said in a statement on behalf of the Twenty-Seven.
Along the same lines, the United States has accused Maduro of a “coup” and is again accusing him of drug trafficking, for which the reward for information leading to his arrest has increased from $15 to $25 million.
Similarly, the Biden administration has announced a new round of economic sanctions against eight senior Venezuelan government officials, accusing them of “repression.” Likewise, he has stated that he will take “additional measures” to limit the income of Maduro and his representatives by analyzing on a case-by-case basis the seizure of Venezuelan assets abroad.
At the same time, the United States will extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) granted to thousands of Venezuelans for another 18 months so they can stay and work in the country.
Today’s announcement does not include the revocation of licenses for foreign companies like Chevron to extract oil from Venezuela.
The EU also adopted a series of sanctions against fifteen Venezuelan officials, including the President of the Supreme Court, Caryslia Rodríguez, and officials of the National Electoral Council, for their involvement in the irregularities registered in Venezuela’s elections and for calling out Maduro as the winner of the presidential election without any evidence to support the outcome.
Thus, the Twenty-Seven are responding to the political crisis in Venezuela by expanding existing sanctions and adding fifteen more people to their ‘blacklist’, as agreed at the end of this year, to expand the list to seventy people.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
