Incumbent Maduro seeks second term in elections
Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro seeks a second six-year term in elections on Sunday that are being boycotted by the opposition.
The US moved to further isolate his government on Friday, just two days before the polls, by slapping sanctions on Maduro’s powerful deputy and socialist party leader Diosdado Cabello, AFP reported.
“We are imposing costs on figures like Diosdado Cabello who exploit their official positions to engage in narcotics trafficking, money laundering, embezzlement of state funds, and other corrupt activities,” said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Maduro held his final rally on Bolivar Avenue in downtown Caracas on Thursday, enlisting former Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona to fire-up the crowd.
Applauded by Maduro and his supporters, Maradona declared himself a Maduro “soldier,” and waved a Venezuelan flag.
“Trust me, if you give me your vote and give us victory, I swear I will lead great economic changes and drive an economic revolution that will shake the world,” pledged Maduro.
The 55-year-old former bus driver wore a green shirt with the image of his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez, emblazoned on the sleeve.
The latest sanctions, leveled at Maduro’s right-hand man Cabello, a former speaker of the National Assembly, also targeted his wife and brother.
The US has also threatened an oil embargo on top of sanctions that have hit Venezuela’s efforts to renegotiate its debt.