- The Venezuelan bishops held an extraordinary assembly in which they concluded that exposing the electoral results is an “essential step” to regain citizens’ confidence in the vote | Photo: CEV
The Episcopal Conference of Venezuela (CEV) asked the National Electoral Council (CNE) to publish the detailed results of the presidential elections held on July 28.
“We want to reiterate the call to the CNE so that, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the laws, it publishes in detail the results of the electoral process carried out on July 28, in which the Venezuelan people’s will for change was evident.” , the bishops expressed in a statement released on Friday, October 18, by the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD).
According to the CEV statement, published at the end of an extraordinary assembly, the presentation of the results “is an essential step to preserve citizens’ confidence in the vote and recover the true meaning of politics.”
“Only in this way can we move forward together towards the construction of a democratic and peaceful Venezuela,” stressed the institution, which cited the biblical section according to which the truth “will set people free.”
This meeting, they explained, served “to pray and reflect on the social, political and ecclesial reality of the country,” and was the first held after the controversial victory of Nicolás Maduro in the elections, a result that has been indicated as fraudulent by the PUD and is not recognized by many countries.
Arbitrary arrests
The bishops also rejected “the repression (against) the demonstrations, the arbitrary arrests and the violations of human rights that occurred after the elections,” in reference to the 2,400 arrests that occurred after the presidential elections.
In this sense, they asked for the release of those detained and recalled that dozens of minors also remain behind bars after being apprehended in the post-election context.
The PUD assures that former opposition candidate Edmundo González won the Presidency by a wide margin, a claim that is supported by several governments, which have asked the CNE to publish the disaggregated results, as established by its own regulations.
Relatives of those detained after the elections protested in Carabobo
The relatives of a group of detainees in the post-election context protested outside a prison in the state of Carabobo to demand their release, the NGO Una Ventana a la Libertad reported on Thursday, October 17.
Through a press release, the relatives reported that the detainees received “damaged food” and that they had not been able to drink water for “four days.”
Likewise, they stated that the detainees do not have personal hygiene products and – they added – the authorities do not allow family members to give them to them during visiting hours.
The NGO indicated that these prisoners’ due process is violated because they are not allowed to appoint “trustworthy” lawyers and – it said – “they appoint public defenders who do not show the evidence and documents provided by the relatives.”
With information from EFE
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