Maduro paying a price

The new sanctions imposed on Russia over its election meddling got most of the attention last week but Americans should be aware of — and rally behind — another set of sanctions approved by the Trump administration, on Venezuela, as its leader prepares to cement his grip on power in voting today.

“The United States will not ignore the Maduro regime’s ongoing efforts to undermine democracy, freedom and the rule of law,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday, announcing the action against 13 high-ranking Venezuelan officials. “As our sanctions demonstrate, the United States is standing by the Venezuelan people in their quest to restore their country to a full and prosperous democracy.”

President Nicolas Maduro has called for elections today that will clear the way for him and his allies to rewrite the constitution — and permanently dispense with the illusion that Venezuela is any longer a functioning democracy.

The Venezuelan people have made a valiant stand in the face of Maduro’s campaign to reduce them to fearful bystanders in their own country. In an unofficial referendum last week those who braved the polls voted overwhelmingly against the formation of the new constituent assembly, which is rigged to do Maduro’s bidding. Maduro has responded with scorn.

He may change his tune if the Trump administration follows through on the promise of even tougher sanctions after today’s vote, including the targeting of oil sales, which represents Maduro’s only access to foreign currency. Escalating sanctions risk pushing the already teetering oil industry in Venezuela over a cliff, causing further damage to a nation where food and medicine are already scarce. But leaving Maduro to his own devices is not an option.