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The US government joined 30 other world leaders in condemning the decision of Venezuela's highest court to block María Corina Machado's presidential candidacy.
President Biden had previously threatened the South American country to reimpose economic sanctions against Venezuela if it did not allow fair democratic elections.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the US State Department said it was reviewing Venezuela's electoral process after Venezuela's highest court – the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia – ruled that Machado should not run for president.
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“The United States is currently reviewing our sanctions policy against Venezuela based on this development and recent political attacks on democratic opposition candidates and civil society,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Venezuela's highest court upholds ban on opposition presidential candidate
Maria Corina Machado, banned opposition presidential candidate for the Vente Venezuela party, center, celebrates during an election night rally in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. (Gaby Oraa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
People argue with election officials at a polling station that did not open on time during regional elections in the San Agustin neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, November 21, 2021.
The move comes after Venezuela's highest court upheld a ban on Machado's candidacy.
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Machado, a former lawmaker, won the independently conducted opposition presidential primary in October with more than 90% of the vote.
President Nicolas Maduro speaks with pro-government supporters after a referendum on Venezuela's claim to Essequibo, a region administered and controlled by Guyana, in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
She achieved her victory despite the government announcing a 15-year ban on her candidacy just days after her official launch in June.
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She was able to take part in the primaries because the campaign was organized by a commission independent of the Venezuelan electoral authorities.
Machado rejected the ban and continued his campaign against incumbent President Nicolás Maduro.
She had argued that she never received official notice of the ban and insisted that voters were the rightful decision-makers on her candidacy.
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The Venezuelan government and the opposition have agreed on an appeal process for banned candidates in the upcoming presidential election. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)
In December, she filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court to uphold the invalidity of the ban and seek an injunction to protect her political rights.
Instead, the court ruled against them and upheld the ban.
Stopping Machado and other candidates from running would run counter to an agreement reached last year between President Maduro's government and U.S.-backed opposition figures.
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The agreement prompted the U.S. government to ease some sanctions against Venezuela's oil, gas and mining industries.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.