Venezuela Opposition Leader Barred from Holding Office, Protester Killed

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By Kody Fairfield

Amidst the turmoil happening in Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro appears to be cracking down on those who oppose him.

Venezuelan opposition leader and two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said on Friday he has been banned from holding political office for 15 years, amid what critics say is a crackdown on dissent by the leftist government, reports Reuters.

The ban placed on Capriles will keep him from contesting the presidency and the current leftist regime in the elections which are supposed to be held in late 2018.

“URGENT: I inform the country and international public opinion that I am being notified at this very moment of a BAN for 15 years,” tweeted Capriles, who is currently the governor of the central coastal state of Miranda.

Reuters says that the Venezuelan comptroller’s office has for a decade used a procedure known as “inhabilitation” that blocks politicians from holding office if they are deemed to have committed “irregularities” in managing state resources.

The government calls it part of anticorruption efforts. Opposition leaders say it is an arbitrary mechanism that allows the ruling Socialist Party to sideline popular politicians without due process, explains Reuters.

Over the last few days, authorities have also accused Capriles of fomenting violence and bloodshed by leading increasingly intense protests against the unpopular Maduro, explained Reuters.

The near-daily protests are over what the opposition has called a “coup d’etat,” and have been occurring since the Supreme Court issued a ruling nullifying Congress last week, reports Al Jazeera.

In one incident, demonstrators against Socialist President Maduro gathered at the ombudsman’s office from dawn, wrapping red tape emblazoned with the words “danger, do not enter” around the building, according to Al Jazeera.

Another incident, which occurred Thursday, saw a young man shot by security forces during an anti-government protest, according to Al Jazeera.

“In the face of the vile assassination of the young Jairo Ortiz, we manifest our firm condemnation of such a vile act,” state human rights ombudsman Tarek Saab said on Twitter about the incident, reports Al Jazeera.

The move to bar Capriles from office is expected to increase anger already held in protests of the current Venezuelan administration.

Venezuelan authorities confirmed a young man was killed during anti-government protests and vowed to investigate the death, says Al Jazeera.

It was not clear why the government took action against Capriles, said Reuters.

What is clear however is that things inside the South American country do not appear to be cooling off anytime soon.

Issue Over Venezuela’s Congress-

Per Reuters-

A decision by the administration-leaning top court to assumed control of the opposition-led congress in what demonstrators said was a lurch toward dictatorship.

While the widely condemned decision was quickly overturned, the opposition has stepped up street protests against Maduro, even though such demonstrations have achieved little in the past.

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