The U.S. has drafted a list of about 60 Venezuelan government officials and family members who could be sanctioned in the first punitive measures following the South American country's disputed presidential election in July, two people close to the matter said.
The proposed list singles out officials from Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE), the Supreme Court and the counterintelligence police who have been involved in political chaos, the people said.
The U.S. Treasury Department submitted the draft sanctions list in recent days to the State Department, the people said, adding the number of individuals to be sanctioned could change.
The sanctions would impose travel bans on targeted officials and family members, and would prohibit U.S. entities from doing business with them.
The CNE proclaimed incumbent President Nicolas Maduro winner of the July 28 election without revealing full vote tallies. Venezuela's Supreme Court this month began a vote audit, but experts and electoral observers say it is unlikely to challenge the government.
Washington and other governments have challenged Maduro's claimed election victory. Rival candidate Edmundo Gonzalez also claimed victory, and results from more than 80% of ballot tallies published by the opposition show a resounding victory for him, with about 67% support.
HOLD TO ACCOUNT
It was not immediately clear when the measures would be announced and if any industry sanctions could accompany them.
The U.S. State Department declined to comment. The U.S. Treasury Department and Venezuela's Foreign Affairs ministry did not reply to requests for comment.
U.S. Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nichols, on Tuesday said on the social media website X that Washington would "hold accountable those who enable electoral fraud and repression."
Venezuela's foreign affairs minister Yvan Gil has in recent days replied to U.S. officials over X, accusing Washington of organizing "a coup" against Maduro.
Neighboring nations and the U.S., Canada, the European Union and the regional Organization of American States have stepped up calls for complete results to be published. However, they have so far shown little sign of tough action over what several condemned as voting fraud.
Senior U.S. officials have said that electoral manipulation stripped Maduro's victory claim of "any credibility," and left the door open to fresh sanctions.
"In coordination with our partners, we are considering a range of options to incentivize and pressure Maduro to recognize the election results," a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council told Reuters last week.
NARROW OPTIONS
The U.S. also is "very concerned by the arbitrary repression and indiscriminate detainment of opposition supporters by Venezuelan security forces," the spokesperson added.
Washington's options to impose further sanctions are narrow. Five years ago, the U.S. announced the most severe measures yet, following Maduro's unrecognized first re-election. These measures have hit the OPEC member's oil sector since.
In April, the Treasury Department decided not to renew a broad license that had temporarily granted Venezuela the means to freely export its oil. The U.S. instead issued individual licenses to some energy companies.
Washington has already sanctioned many key Venezuelan officials, including the CNE's head, Elvis Amoroso.
