International Scrutiny of Venezuela's Presidential Election
Citing a significant lack of openness and honesty, a recent analysis by a panel of United Nations specialists has cast a critical eye on Venezuela’s recent presidential contest. This analysis reflects prior worries voiced by unbiased observers who concluded that the election cannot be judged democratic.
Concerns Over Election Transparency
The UN panel has attacked Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) for naming Nicolás Maduro as the winner without presenting thorough voting totals. The experts underlined that the CNE’s statement was made without disclosing any particular results or breakdowns by voting stations, a procedure they considered unheard of in modern democratic elections. The UN officials said, “The way the CNE announced the results fell short of the basic transparency and integrity measures essential to holding credible elections.”
Human Rights Violations and Arbitrary Detentions
Previously cautioning of a “climate of fear” generated by arbitrary detentions following the election, the UN human rights head The Venezuelan administration claims that since the day the challenged results were declared, July 29, over 2,400 individuals have been arrested. Concerned about the detentions, the chief said, “it is especially troubling that so many people are being detained, accused, or charged with incitement to hatred under counterterrorism legislation.”
Apart from the detentions, the UN claims the government has a “fierce repression” response to public demonstrations and social media criticism. Between July 28 and August 8, independent rights specialists have recorded 23 deaths; most of them stem from shootings. The Venezuelan government claims 25 deaths, ascribed to “opposition violence.”
Government Response and Calls for Repression
Reacting to the upheaval, President Maduro has pushed the legal system—mainly under the direction of his socialist PSUV party—to act with an “iron fist.” Emphasizing that there should be no repetition of the “disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officials and the attacks on demonstrators by armed individuals supporting the government,” the UN’s human rights head has demanded that all fatalities be examined.
Opposition Claims and Electoral Irregularities
Widespread demonstrations were set off by the CNE’s announcement of Maduro as the victor as the opposition argues Edmundo González, their candidate, won significantly. Copies of tallies gathered by its observers on election night have been leaked by the opposition, implying González got 67% of the vote instead of 30%. Independent observers and media have checked these figures and confirmed their accuracy.
Dismissal of UN Report by Venezuelan Officials
While the election was “logistically well-organized” and conducted “in a largely peaceful environment,” a panel of UN experts summoned by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council presented preliminary conclusions emphasizing that the absence of thorough result disclosure was troublesome. Furthermore, the experts validated all the security elements of the original result procedures in a sample of opposition-published voting tallies.
Responding, the Venezuelan foreign ministry discounted the UN assessment as “a propaganda act serving the interests of the Venezuela far right.” Head of the government-dominated National Assembly Jorge RodrĂguez called the UN panel “fake experts” and “rubbish,” accusing them of dishonesty. The assembly gave a standing ovation for RodrĂguez’s suggestion to change election rules to stop foreign opinions on Venezuelan elections.
