The preliminary report of the UN Panel of Electoral Experts, which was delivered to the CNE and denounced as “garbage” by deputy Jorge Rodríguez, states that the electronic transmission of the results “worked well at first, but was abruptly interrupted in the hours after the closing of the voting centers.” They also reviewed “a small sample” of the minutes published by the opposition and concluded that “they exhibit all the characteristics of security.”
“The CNE’s results management process did not comply with the basic measures of transparency and integrity that are essential for the holding of credible elections. It did not follow national legal and regulatory provisions and all stipulated deadlines were not met.” This is clear from the preliminary report of the United Nations Panel of Electoral Experts, published on the evening of Tuesday, August 13.
The document, which was made public by decision of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, states that the announcement of the results made by the National Electoral Council in the early hours of July 29, where the president Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner, “is unprecedented” in contemporary democratic elections.
The Panel noted that the announcement of results without a detailed publication or the delivery of tabulated results to the candidates, which has not yet been done, “had a negative impact on confidence” in a large part of the Venezuelan electorate.
The preliminary report of the UN experts, which was delivered to the CNE and denounced as “garbage” by deputy Jorge Rodríguez, exposes the situation of restrictions on civic space before the elections, the political and public media restrictions on opposition candidates, as well as the official perception of a process “at a disadvantage” due to sanctions.
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Regarding the issue of the “cyber attack” announced by the CNE and supported by the Venezuelan authorities, the Panel noted that “no information or explanation was provided to the candidates at the time” or to the UN experts themselves.
The electronic transmission of results, UN officials noted, “worked well at first, but was abruptly interrupted in the hours after polling stations closed.”
In addition, the Panel recalled, “three key post-election audits have been cancelled, including one on the communications system that could have shed light on the occurrence of external attacks on the transmission infrastructure.”
The Panel of Experts also reviewed “a small sample” of the minutes published by the opposition. It concluded that these minutes of counting “exhibit all the security features of the original results protocols. This suggests that a key transparency safeguard may be available, as intended, with respect to any officially published results.”
The experts regretted the lack of communication with the CNE authorities after the July 28 election, despite having sent a verbal request to arrange a meeting with the rectors before their departure from Venezuela on August 2. They pointed out that before the event, there was “a constructive dialogue and positive exchanges.”
The Panel’s final report, which is expected to be private, is also expected to include considerations on the legal framework for elections, voter registration, candidate registration, campaign context, electoral administration and women’s political participation.
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