Macron Deems Sidelining of Venezuela Opposition Coalition as Shift towards Authoritarianism

The Venezuelan Supreme Court has barred the opposition coalition from upcoming presidential polls. (Reuters)
The Venezuelan Supreme Court has barred the opposition coalition from upcoming presidential polls. (Reuters)
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Macron Deems Sidelining of Venezuela Opposition Coalition as Shift towards Authoritarianism

The Venezuelan Supreme Court has barred the opposition coalition from upcoming presidential polls. (Reuters)
The Venezuelan Supreme Court has barred the opposition coalition from upcoming presidential polls. (Reuters)

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned on Friday Venezuelan authorities’ decision to sideline the country’s opposition coalition from upcoming presidential elections.

He said that the move was an “unacceptable shift to authoritarianism.”

Late on Thursday, the Supreme Court, which is close to President Nicolas Maduro, moved to exclude the coalition from registering in the vote placed yet another obstacle ahead of the already disparate opposition.

The vote is due by April 30, however, the opposition’s most popular leaders, Leopoldo Lopez and Henrique Capriles, are already banned from standing.

The coalition condemned the move as trickery by Maduro’s administration to rig the vote in its favor.

Critics say Maduro is depriving Venezuelans of a free and fair election during an unprecedented economic implosion.

“This demonstrates the fear felt by Maduro of the people,” opposition lawmaker Stalin Gonzalez said on Thursday.

International pressure is also piling on the government. The United States said this week that the vote will “deepen, not help resolve, national tensions,” and Vice President Mike Pence called Maduro a “dictator.”

It said it will not recognize the results of Venezuela's "snap" presidential election if it is held.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the vote would be "neither free nor fair."

Thursday’s ruling said the coalition violated the principle of avoiding “double affiliation” in politics and therefore could not be validated.

Critics see that as baseless, and the opposition is discussing its next move.

“If the opposition opts to participate, it risks legitimizing (an election) process that has already been questioned by the international community,” said IHS analyst Diego Moya-Ocampos.

“However, if the opposition chooses not to contest the elections, Maduro will be enabled to straightforwardly extend his mandate for a new six-year presidential term.”

Two senior State Department officials said all economic tools are available to the US to increase the pressure on Venezuela. They added new sanctions are "always" on the table.

The officials revealed there is evidence that current sanctions are working, but they declined to provide any examples.



Trump Vetoed Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
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Trump Vetoed Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters

President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, two US officials told Reuters on Sunday.

"Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do, we're not even talking about going after the political leadership," said one of the sources, a senior US administration official.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said top US officials have been in constant communications with Israeli officials in the days since Israel launched a massive attack on Iran in a bid to halt its nuclear program.

They said the Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill the top Iranian leader, but Trump waved them off of the plan.

The officials would not say whether Trump himself delivered the message. But Trump has been in frequent communications with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

When asked about Reuters report, Netanyahu, in an interview on Sunday with Fox News Channel's "Special Report With Bret Baier," said: "There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that."

"But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States," Netanyahu said.

Trump has been holding out hope for a resumption of US-Iranian negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program. Talks that had been scheduled for Sunday in Oman were canceled as a result of the strikes.

Trump told Reuters on Friday that "we knew everything" about the Israeli strikes.