Venezuela accused of grounding Latin American ex-leader flight
Panama has accused the Venezuelan government of blocking a flight carrying former Latin American leaders who were scheduled to observe presidential elections on Sunday.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino announced on social media that Venezuela had denied the plane permission to take off as long as the former leaders were aboard. The Venezuelan government has denied these allegations.
The plane carried ex-presidents from Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, and Bolivia, all critics of the current Venezuelan government, who expressed their hopes for an opposition victory.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, seeking a third consecutive term, has stated he will win “by hook or by crook.”
“The aircraft was denied permission to take off from Tocumen as long as they remain on board,” Mr. Mulino wrote on X, referring to Panama City’s airport.
Vicente Fox, Mexico’s former president, posted a video on social media from the airport, claiming, “Nicolas Maduro has caused all Copa flights heading to Caracas and Venezuela to be suspended.”
“A bad sign for Sunday,” he commented separately in a radio interview. “We were removed from the plane with blackmail and pressure from Venezuela.”
Other notable figures on board included Miguel Ángel Rodríguez of Costa Rica, Jorge Quiroga of Bolivia, and Marta Lucía Ramírez, former vice-president of Colombia.
Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha stated that Venezuela had “blocked the airspace of its country to Copa Airlines” for “several hours,” a claim denied by Venezuelan authorities.
Last year, Mr. Maduro agreed to allow international observers for this election, leading to a temporary easing of US sanctions.
