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l July 28th The electoral process took place in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in which Nicolas Maduro triumphed with 51 percent of the votes, in an orderly, monitored, peaceful and participatory electoral day. Having been a week earlier at the International Book Fair of Venezuela and in activities of the Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity (REDH), I had the opportunity to observe the vitality of the Bolivarian government in the important field of culture and intellectuality, with an impressive editorial production of its own and of other countries, and a display of talent and analytical-discursive capacity in book presentations and conversations, also marked by an open political commitment to the revolution started by Commander Hugo Chávez. In daily contacts with Venezuelan colleagues and sectors of the population in Caracas, it was possible to perceive the certainty about the election result, despite the criticism and self-criticism about the progress and performance of the Chavista government, and the need to deepen, once the elections are over, the exercise of an increasingly prominent popular power, at all levels and sectors of Venezuelan society. As one grassroots comrade wrote, in the early hours of the following day: It would be good if, through a joint debate, we analysed this electoral episode and shed light on whether criticism makes our leaders also think and rethink not only the organisation, but also the training of our people.
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On July 29, the REDH made public its recognition and respect for the recently concluded electoral process, celebrating the active participation of the Venezuelan people, who have once again demonstrated their commitment to democracy and the sovereignty of their nation. The network congratulates President-elect Nicolás Maduro for his victory at the polls, in an electoral process that reflected the sovereign will of the Venezuelan people and recognizes his leadership in promoting peace, social justice and unity, while strongly condemning the violent and destabilizing actions promoted by opposition sectors that seek to undermine the governability and peace of Venezuela. These actions not only threaten the security and well-being of the population, but also challenge the democratically expressed will of the Venezuelan people. The REDH urges all political actors, national and international, to recognize and respect the results of the elections, thus contributing to the strengthening of democracy and peace in Venezuela. It is noted that it is essential to prioritize dialogue and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, avoiding any form of external interference.
In this area, the terrorist actions carried out by groups of criminals who, once arrested, have confessed that they were paid to set fire to community centers for culture, health and recreation of the population, offices of the ruling party, as well as to tear down statues of President Chavez, and of the Indian Coromoto, the Venezuelan Juan Diego, to whom, according to beliefs, the Virgin Mary appeared. Maduro, in a national broadcast, showed the videos of the gangs that perpetrated these attacks, which, as in the riots of other years, robbed, even with bullets, men and women identified as Chavistas, besieging houses of social leaders, chasing them to attack them in a mob. Michel Caballero Palma, a humble social leader from Parroquia La Vega, Caracas, taken from her house by force, bravely denounced the extreme right groups in a video. At the same time, these same groups were filming in the streets where they staged the protest, in which an opponent was seen on the ground, with a trickle of blood, supposedly killed by the National Guard, who, miraculously, after the montage of shouts and insults to the repressive government, got on a motorcycle that took him away, safe and sound, from the crime scene
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The media campaign that attempts to convince about an alleged fraud in elections monitored by more than a thousand international observers stands out, as well as the firm rejection of the Venezuelan government, with the withdrawal of its ambassadors, in the face of the actions and statements of a group of right-wing governments, made up of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay, subordinated to the United States, and openly committed to the most sordid ideological postulates of international fascism
who seek to ignore the electoral results of the presidential elections of July 28.
It is clear that the most outstanding and admirable political subject of this process is the brave and dignified people of Venezuela, who, against the current, achieved a historic victory.
