Venezuela accused of blocking flight of former Latin American leaders

Panama has accused Venezuela of blocking a flight carrying former Latin American leaders who were observing Venezuela’s presidential election on Sunday.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said on social media that Venezuela had refused to allow the plane to take off while the former leaders were on board. The Venezuelan government has rejected the allegations.

Among the plane’s passengers were the former presidents of Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and Bolivia, all critics of the current Venezuelan government who said they hoped for an opposition victory.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is seeking a third consecutive term, has said he will win “by any means necessary.”

“The plane was denied permission to take off from Tocumen while they remained on board,” Mulino wrote on X, referring to the Panama City airport.

Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, posted a video on social media from the airport, in which he said: “Nicolas Maduro has caused the suspension of all Copa flights to Caracas and Venezuela.”

“This is a bad sign for Sunday,” he said in a radio interview. “We were thrown off the plane thanks to blackmail and pressure from Venezuela.”

Other members of the group 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 said Venezuela had “blocked his country’s airspace to Copa Airlines” for “several hours” – a claim denied by Venezuelan authorities.

Last year, Mr Maduro agreed to allow international observers to attend the election, leading to a temporary easing of US sanctions.

However, last week Venezuela issued a decree limiting travel across the country’s border starting Friday, a move it says is aimed at protecting the election.

But a series of similar crackdowns have already taken place, raising fears that Venezuela will block access to international observers.

The president of the National Electoral Council, government ally Elvis Amoroso, cancelled the presence of EU officials who were due to attend the vote.

Colombian officials, Spanish lawmakers and Chilean senators have all said they were denied entry at Caracas airport.

The president of the Spanish Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, said that the Venezuelan government “does not want the international community to have eyes and ears in Venezuela this weekend.”

Mr Maduro’s PSUV party has been in power for 25 years, but opposition activists hope to oust the president on Sunday.

The main opposition parties have united behind one candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez.

Most opinion polls suggest he has a landslide lead over Mr Maduro, but he fears the vote will be neither free nor fair and that the government will not concede defeat.