US State Department calls on Venezuela to lift ban on opposition candidates

Wednesday, August 5th 2015 - 08:47 UTC

Full article 19 comments

The United States on Tuesday called on Venezuela to reverse a ban on opposition members from holding office and participating in the 6 December parliamentary elections. Washington made the request after opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she had tried to register on Monday as a candidate but her application was rejected. Read full article

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ilsen
Hurrah!
The world is starting to take notice.

Cue Ma-burro screaming about US imperialism and telling them to butt out. However, when the US speaks the world listens. Hopefully this will draw more international interest and pressure.
Aug 05th, 2015 - 10:20 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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ElaineB
@1 Exactly, it is about drawing attention to what Maduro is doing.
Aug 05th, 2015 - 11:27 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Conqueror
I'm puzzled. I looked up “tradition”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradition
Then I looked up the history of Venezuela.

How does the US get to refer to “Venezuela’s democratic traditions”?
Aug 05th, 2015 - 11:38 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Skip
I predict an assassination attempt very soon.... indeed more than one before the election..... but at least one extremely close to election day!
Aug 05th, 2015 - 11:39 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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ilsen
I predict a lot of opposition people being “disappeared”.

Maduro will blame 'coup - plotters ' and foreign agents etc. He announces new 'coup attempts' every week, with no proof.
See http://venezuelaconspiracytheories.blogspot.com.es/?m=1
Aug 05th, 2015 - 11:48 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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ChrisR
The US State Department's comments are helpful but only rhetoric.

Is any country going to actually do something about these dreadful Chavista people who are holding the country to ransom?

Not likely, unfortunately.
Aug 05th, 2015 - 12:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Brit Bob
As a distraction to the chaos, Maduro is ramping up his territorial claims on a great swathe of Guyana. But Venezuela's territorial claim is based on the doctrine of uti possidetis juris. UPJ is only applicable to those states that have opted in to use it to determine borders at the time of independence and cannot be used by any court or tribunal without Guyana's consent: https://www.academia.edu/10573590/Falklands_-_Uti_Possidetis_Juris_and_Nootka_Sound_Convention_1790
Aug 05th, 2015 - 01:44 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Conqueror
@7. I can't be bothered with all this “legal” mumbo jumbo. RAF to Guyana. Bomb and missile Venezuela.
Aug 05th, 2015 - 01:56 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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ilsen
Maduro claimed that the recent food riots were sponsored by, and even organised in, New York and Washington.
Local state Governor claimed it was opposition organisations pre - planned.
Local media begged to differ. The local press said a lot of hungry people were already protesting the continuous lack of public transport when a supermarket supply truck got stuck in the crowd. With the shelves empty for days and tempers running high already, people gave into their instincts to survive.
Who to believe?
Full story here.
http://venezuelaconspiracytheories.blogspot.com.es/?m=1
Aug 05th, 2015 - 02:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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jakesnake
@4 Skip Is your prediction regarding an attempt on Maduro or Machado?
Aug 05th, 2015 - 02:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Troy Tempest
Scary that a government would be suppressing hungry people with violence and covering up their desperation
Aug 05th, 2015 - 02:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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ilsen
Apologies all. It would seem my previous figures of 100% inflation were wrong.
Panampost.com is reporting 800%
http://panampost.com/fergus-hodgson/2015/08/04/venezuelan-inflation-soars-to-800/
Aug 05th, 2015 - 02:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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ChrisR
@ 12 ilsen

By the look of the 'svelte' figure of MADuro, we know 'who ate all the pies'.
Aug 05th, 2015 - 05:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Skip
Maduro definitely Jake.

If the government wanted Machado dead then she would be.

Maduro however seems to be forever the target of assassins from 'Carry On Assassinating' Corp. A division of Slapstick Inc.
Aug 05th, 2015 - 09:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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ilsen
@13 ChrisR

There has been recent social media commentary that Maduro is no longer flaunting his collection of + $30,000 watches.
Used to be a different one for each appearance.
But no more.

Truly a man of the people.

(retch!)
Aug 06th, 2015 - 02:30 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Troy Tempest
13, 15 ChrisR and ilsen

+$30,000 watches....!
a different one for each appearance..?!!!

That's utterly ridiculous - not even the K Socialist Trolls and Stevie can defend such a tactless display.

I myself, have only one +$30,000 watch... and I can tell you - I damn we'll make that do for ALL occasions, even special holidays... !!!

Sheesh!!!
Aug 06th, 2015 - 02:49 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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ilsen
He is toning it down ahead of the election.
Aug 06th, 2015 - 09:40 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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ChrisR
@ 17 ilsen

How do you know these watches are the genuine article, they are probably fake, like him?
Aug 06th, 2015 - 12:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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ilsen
In the past 15 years over $1 trillion in oil revenues has been squandered.
Trust me, they're real.
:-(
Aug 06th, 2015 - 02:50 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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