Venezuela, Government & Public Sector, Venezuelan Supreme Court Upholds Constitutionality Of Candidate Blacklist

The Venezuelan Supreme Court recently upheld the constitutionality of blocking 272 mostly opposition candidates from running for office on the basis of suspicion of corruption. The court rejected arguments that the blacklist was unconstitutional because many of the listed candidates had merely been accused, but not convicted, of corruption: [T]he court concludes that the restriction of human rights is acceptable in accordance with the laws that are given for reasons of general interest, for the safety of other members of society and for the common good . . . . The list of blacklisted candidates was created by President Hugo Chavez's Comptroller General, Clodosbaldo Russian, in February 2008. Although ostensibly created to bar candidates accused of involvement in corruption, the majority of the candidates listed are aligned with political parties that oppose President Chavez, including Leopoldo Lopez, the mayor of a Caracas municipality. Lopez's lawyer, Enrique Sanchez Falcon, has reportedly filed two other suits challenging the constitutionality of the list and intends to continue the battle to permit Lopez to run for reelection.