Mediaboss Marketing

There was no immediate comment from the government. Leaders in the ruling socialist party had accused Mr Capriles in recent days of stoking violence through his leadership of a week of near-daily protests, many of which have ended in tear gas and rubber bullets.

President Nicolas Maduro called out Mr Capriles on his television show on Thursday night, after tens of thousands of Venezuelans shut down Caracas with a march against the socialist administration. He said followers of "little Capriles" were seeking a bloodbath.

Mr Capriles responded to the ban on Thursday, saying, "The only one who is disqualified here is you, Nicolas Maduro. You and your circle of corrupt drug traffickers."

The move against Mr Capriles is part of a broader government crackdown this week that included detentions at marches and threats against party leaders.

"They are trying to raise the costs of protest, plain and simple," said Michael McCarthy, a research fellow focused on Venezuela at American University.

"But this move may well backfire, as Capriles is likely to harness this smear campaign to place himself front and center in the push to hold transition elections."

Authorities have been investigating Mr Capriles since the beginning of the year for what they say are a half dozen administrative irregularities, including taking suspicious donations from abroad.

See the original post here:
Venezuelan government further stifles democracy as Henrique Capriles banned from running for office - Telegraph.co.uk