Maria Corina Machado declared victory in the Venezuelan opposition’s presidential primaries last October.

Venezuela’s Supreme Judicial Court has upheld a ban preventing presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado from taking office, upending the opposition’s plans for elections scheduled for later this year.

Machado, a former lawmaker, won The presidential primary, conducted independently by the opposition last October, garnered more than 90 percent of the vote, potentially putting it in a prime position to challenge longtime socialist leader Nicolas Maduro in the election.

She achieved her victory despite the government announcing a 15-year ban on her candidacy just days after her official launch in June.

After the court issued its ruling on Friday, Machado posted on social media that her campaign’s “fight to conquer democracy through free and fair elections” was not over.

“Maduro and his criminal system have chosen the worst possible path for them: fraudulent elections. That will not happen. “Let no one doubt it, this is the end,” the 56-year-old wrote on X.

The regime decided to terminate the Barbados Agreement.

What is NOT ending is our fight to conquer democracy through free and fair elections.

Maduro and his criminal system chose the worst possible path for them: fraudulent elections. This won’t…

— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) January 26, 2024

The court’s decision came hours after three of Machado’s allies were arrested on conspiracy charges, amid growing tensions between Maduro’s government and the political opposition.

Attorney General Tarek Saab accused Guillermo Lopez, Luis Camacaro and Juan Freites, who belong to Machado’s Vente Venezuela party, of being part of a group of at least 11 people who he said tried to rob a military arsenal last year before a planned attack -Maduro state governor.

Saab said on state television that the three were “criminals.”

There was no mention of Lopez in a post on.

US-Venezuela relations

The court also upheld findings that Machado supported U.S. sanctions, was involved in corruption and lost money on Venezuela’s foreign assets, including U.S.-based oil refiner Citgo and Colombia-based chemical company Monomeros.

The US has made a continuation of sanctions relief against Venezuela, granted in October under an electoral agreement signed in Barbados, conditional on Maduro releasing political prisoners and “wrongfully imprisoned” Americans.

While the Maduro government released five prisoners, including prominent opposition figures, it reiterated that those with disqualifications cannot take part in the 2024 race.

On Thursday, Maduro said the Barbados agreement was “mortally violated” after government authorities claimed to have foiled numerous plots against him.

Currently, the Machado ban that remains in place could affect U.S.-Venezuelan relations.

“The regime has decided to terminate the agreement in Barbados. What it didn’t finish was our fight for the victory of democracy through free and fair elections,” Machado said in a message on X.

Maduro, the protégé of former President Hugo Chávez, has been in power since 2013. Although he has not officially announced his re-election, he is widely expected to seek a third six-year term in 2024.

A victory would put him on track to remain in office until 2030, which would far exceed the 11 years Chávez was in power.