Venezuelan Presidential Election Update: More International Calls for Transparency and Recognition of the Election of the Center-Right Candidate

As more evidence emerges, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the center-right opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a former diplomat, easily won the Venezuelan presidential election last week, despite the Socialist regime’s declaration that the dictatorial President had been reelected to a third six-year term and its many violations of the electoral process, including repression of opposition leaders. The Carter Center, one of the few international observers permitted by the Socialist regime, also denounced the lack of transparency. The expert election observers reported that they could not verify the re-election of the Venezuelan dictator, observing the elections did not conform to democratic standards at any stage or even to Venezuelan law. The Venezuelan opposition to the Socialist dictatorship is confident it can prove that its candidate won more than twice as many votes as the dictator because it had access to the documented results from over 80% of the polling places. Protests have broken out across Venezuela. The Socialist regime responded with its usual deadly repression and mass arrests. The regime has even indicted the popular opposition leader, whom it had banned from holding office, and declared the opposition’s attempt to prove that it won the election a “coup” backed by foreigners. Under international pressure, the Socialist dictator agreed to ask the Venezuelan Supreme Court to audit the election results, but like the national election body, the high court is also stacked with regime loyalists. The United Nations Secretary General called for transparency in the vote-counting process in the South American State. The Organization of American States, of which the United States is one of the 35 members, declared that the results of the Venezuelan presidential elections cannot be trusted and should not be recognized without documentary support for the Socialist dictator’s victory, as declared by the national election commission. The OAS, citing repression by the Venezuelan regime, documented abuses and illegalities in this and the previous election in 2018 and observed that the electoral commission was biased toward the incumbent and at its service in denying the will of the Venezuelan people. The Group of Seven industrial powers, which includes the U.S., Canada, Japan and four Western European States, also called for transparency in the election tabulation process and for restraint in respect for elective representative government. The U.S., several Latin American States across the political spectrum, and other Western States expressed doubts about the election result, but as more evidence emerged from the polling place records, the U.S. and several Latin American States have now has expressed certainty that Gonzalez won the most votes. The U.S., which had mediated a deal in which the elections would take place, has threatened to re-impose sanctions it had temporarily lifted for the elections having been scheduled because the conduct of the elections violated the agreement for free and fair elections. Venezuela expelled all the diplomats from eight Latin American States across the political spectrum that had questioned the legitimacy of the Socialist election victory. Brazil had to take custody of some of their embassies, including Argentina’s, where some Venezuelan opposition leaders had sought asylum, for which Argentina expressed gratitude. The Socialists have ruled for 25 years since taking power through an election and then becoming increasingly authoritarian, causing many millions of Venezuelans to flee in the largest mass exodus in history, including to America, which is placing a strain on other South American States. The anti-American Socialists have encouraged socialist revolution in Latin America and have established close relations with Communist Cuba, imperialist Russia and Islamist and terrorist Iran.