Venezuela upholds ban on candidates - NewsFlash - OregonLive.com

Venezuela's national electoral council has dealt a setback to President Hugo Chavez's foes by tentatively accepting a blacklist barring nearly 400 potential candidates — most from the opposition. German Yepez, one of the council's five directors, said the agency decided Wednesday to abide by the anti-corruption blacklist drawn up by the government's top anti-graft official, Comptroller General Clodosbaldo Russian. None of the potential candidates has been formally charged with a crime, but Russian says the law bars people from seeking office while facing corruption probes.