A political commentator believes Washington’s new sanctions against top Venezuelan officials are meant to prevent people from voting for President Nicolas Maduro.

“This is the threat, ‘if you vote for Nicolas Maduro we are going to sabotage your economy.’ I think this sends a very severe and direct message not only to the Venezuelan government but to the Venezuelan people as well and this is part of a larger sabotage effort,” Jason Unruhe told Press TV in an interview on Sunday.

“This is part of a larger effort to place a kind of pressure, to spread rumors, to do all kinds of a wrecking work in general to Maduro and his party because they have been so staunchly against US interests inside the country,” he added.