MADRID, Spain.- The Carter Center, a leading international organization specializing in election observation, declared that the presidential elections held in Venezuela this Sunday, July 28 did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and therefore “cannot be considered democratic.”
The statementpublished on Tuesday night, highlights that the process did not comply with “international parameters and standards for electoral processes.” The organization emphasizes that it was unable to verify the results declared by the National Electoral Council (CNE) due to the “lack of transparency in the publication of results broken down by polling station,” which it considers a “serious violation of electoral principles.”
He also referred to the environment of restricted freedoms in which the elections took place, affecting political actors, civil society organizations and the media. In addition, a clear bias on the part of the CNE, in favor of Nicolás Maduro.
Voter registration was compromised by short deadlines and a lack of public information, while citizens abroad faced excessive legal requirements that deprived them of their rights.
As for the election campaign, the Carter Center noted uneven playing fields between the candidates. Maduro’s campaign was well-funded and widely visible, while the main opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, received little media coverage. In addition, the authorities attempted to restrict opposition activities through harassment and intimidation, the document says.
The Atlanta-based organization also noted that on election day, despite the fact that citizens turned out in large numbers and peacefully, the efforts of observers were undermined by the CNE’s lack of transparency.
The Carter Center, which has been an observer in more than 100 elections in 43 countries, participated in the observation of these elections with 17 observers, invited by the Venezuelan regime itself. The organization plans to publish a final report documenting its findings on this observation mission.
After the presidential elections in Venezuela, where the National Electoral Council gave the victory to Nicolás Maduro with 51.2% of the votes in his favor, when the polls pointed to a resounding victory for the opposition, the leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González and their team began a process of verification of the minutes and made them available to Venezuelans in a “robust” website.
María Corina Machado, Edmundo González and the ConVzla command, after denouncing electoral fraud, published a Web page where you can review the voting records of the Venezuelan presidential elections.
The opposition leader announced it on the social network X: “Venezuelan, through this link you will be able to see how with your vote and your will, you changed the history of Venezuela. Here you will find the minutes that up to this hour we have processed and totaled, and that confirm our extraordinary triumph.”
At the end of the voting day in each center, the machines issued tally sheets with the results of each table. Copies were also given to the witnesses of the political parties and, later, the results were transmitted to Caracas. However, this information was never shared by the Maduro forces; only a general result was proclaimed by the CNE.
Follow our channel WhatsApp. Receive the information from CubaNet on your cell phone through Telegram.