Venezuela bars leading opposition candidate Machado from holding office

FILE PHOTO: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado participates during a march ahead of the October presidential primary, in Caripito, Monagas State, Venezuela March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo

CARACAS (Reuters) -Maria Corina Machado, one of the favorites to win the Venezuelan opposition's nomination for president in an October primary, has been barred from holding public office for 15 years, the country's controller general said in a letter.

Machado, a 55-year-old industrial engineer and former lawmaker, is leading polling for the 13-candidate primary, convened to select a unity candidate to face socialist President Nicolas Maduro in a 2024 election.