Exclusive-US draws up list of 60 Venezuelans for possible sanctions following election, sources say By Reuters

By Marianna Parraga

HOUSTON (Reuters) – The U.S. has drawn up a list of about 60 Venezuelan government officials and family members who could be sanctioned in the first punitive measures after the South American country’s disputed presidential election in July, two people close to the matter said. .

The proposed list highlights officials from Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE), Supreme Court and counter-intelligence police who have been implicated in the political chaos, the people said.

The U.S. Treasury Department in recent days forwarded the draft sanctions list to the State Department, the people said, adding that the number of people to be sanctioned could change.

The sanctions would impose travel bans on targeted officials and family members and prohibit US entities from doing business with them.

The CNE proclaimed incumbent President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the July 28 election, without disclosing the vote total. Venezuela’s Supreme Court began an audit of the vote this month, but election experts and observers say it is unlikely to challenge the government.

Washington and other governments contested Maduro’s election victory. Rival candidate Edmundo Gonzalez also claimed victory, and the results of more than 80% of polls published by the opposition show a resounding victory for him, with around 67% support.

KEEP IN ACCOUNT

It was not immediately clear when the measures would be announced and whether any industry sanctions might accompany them.

The US State Department declined to comment. The US Treasury Department and Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

US Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols said on social media site X on Tuesday that Washington would “hold accountable those who enable election fraud and repression”.

Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil has hit back at US officials over X in recent days, accusing Washington of staging “a coup” against Maduro.

Neighboring nations and the US, Canada, the European Union and the Regional Organization of American States have stepped up calls for the full results to be published. However, they have so far shown little sign of tough action against what many have condemned as vote fraud.

Senior US officials said election rigging stripped Maduro’s claim of victory of “any credibility” and left the door open for further sanctions.

“In coordination with our partners, we are considering a number of options to incentivize and press Maduro to recognize the election results,” a spokesman for the US National Security Council told Reuters last week.

NARROW OPTIONS

The United States is also “deeply concerned about the arbitrary repression and indiscriminate detention of opposition supporters by Venezuelan security forces,” the spokesman added.

Washington’s options for imposing new sanctions are narrow. Five years ago, the US announced its most severe measures yet following Maduro’s first unrecognized re-election. These measures have hit the OPEC member’s oil sector since then.

In April, the Treasury Department decided not to renew a broad license that temporarily gave Venezuela the means to freely export its oil. Instead, the US issued individual licenses to energy companies.

Washington has already sanctioned many key Venezuelan officials, including CNE head Elvis Amoroso.