The Center-Right Opposition Won the Venezuelan Presidential Election

The united opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a former diplomat, easily won the Venezuelan presidential election yesterday with 65-70% of the vote, according to two exit polls and the tabulations from the opposition at 40% of polling places to which it had access. The previously little-known center-right candidate, who was a last-minute stand-in for the popular conservative candidate the ruling Socialists had barred from office, overwhelmingly won in every State in Venezuela, despite the oppression from the dictatorship that I have been posting about that rendered the elections for a six-year term not free and fair, and the rejection by the Socialists of most international observers. The anti-American Socialists have ruled for 25 years after being elected and then becoming increasingly authoritarian. Venezuela has suffered tyranny, corruption, crime, poverty, inflation, and energy shortages. Millions have fled the South American State, including to America. The national election council, controlled by the President, declared the incumbent the winner with just over 51.% of the vote, but without publicizing the particular results. In my last post, I had said that the opposition would win a free and fair election, but that it was doubtful the Socialist dictatorship would accept the results and cede power. The opposition has declared Gonzalez the president-elect and even some Latin American States led by the center-left have joined those on the right side of the spectrum in questioning how the results could possibly reflect the will of the Venezuelan people. States ruled by the far left and tyrants who do not permit free elections themselves have recognized the Socialists as the winners, despite the lack of transparency, which the United States and its Western allies also doubt. The U.S., which had mediated the deal in which the elections would take place and eased some economic sanctions for it having been scheduled, stands by the Venezuelan people and offers assistance in providing some protection for members of the Socialist regime to escape prosecution for human rights violations in exchange for giving up power. The dictatorship had violated the agreement in many ways in repressing the opposition, which creatively found means to work around it. The Socialist dictator had threatneed a “bloodbath” if he lost. The popular opposition is encouraging the Venezuelan military to uphold the true results of the election. The U.S. and much of the international community will continue to pressure the Venezuelan regime to be transparent in publicizing the results, and are otherwise not likely recognize the Socialist dictator as the legitimate ruler of Venezuela and will use sanctions as leverage to force him to accept the will of the Venezuelan people and give up power.