Carter Center on Venezuelan elections: “They cannot be considered democratic”

• The organization detailed that the elections of July 28 in which the Electoral Power awarded the victory to the candidate for reelection, Nicolás Maduro, did not comply with international standards | Photo: EFE

The Carter Center, which participated as an observer in the Venezuelan presidential elections, stated on Tuesday, July 30, that the process “did not conform” to the international parameters and standards of electoral integrity, and therefore “cannot be considered democratic.”

“The Carter Center cannot verify or corroborate the authenticity of the presidential election results declared by the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela,” the organization said in a statement. statement.

He also stressed that the electoral body, which declared the official candidate Nicolás Maduro the winner with more than two million votes still to be counted, has not announced the results broken down by polling station, which “constitutes a serious violation of electoral principles.”

Members of the Carter Center international observation mission during the July 28 elections. Photo: EFE/ Henry Chirinos

He explained that the electoral process “has not met international standards of integrity at any of its relevant stages and has violated numerous precepts of national legislation.”

“Restricted freedoms”

According to the Carter Center, “it developed in an environment of restricted freedoms to the detriment of political actors, civil society organizations and the media” and during the process, the CNE authorities “showed bias in favor of the ruling party and against the opposition candidates.”

He added that the updating of the voter registry “was carried out with numerous inconveniences”, such as “very short deadlines, relatively few registration places and a minimal public information and dissemination campaign”.

The problem – the note continues – “was aggravated abroad, where citizens faced excessive, even arbitrary, legal barriers to registering abroad.”

In addition, he said, the registration of parties and candidates “did not meet international standards” and, in recent years, opposition parties “have suffered judicial interventions to the detriment of their most socially and politically recognized leaders in order to benefit people close to the government, influencing the formation of their candidacies.”

Venezuelans rally in Chile | Photo: @vugueto

The organization also recalled, “even more importantly,” that the registration of the candidacy of the main opposition forces “was subject to the discretion of the electoral authorities who adopted decisions without respecting basic legal principles.”

Favoritism “in all fields”

The Carter Center noted that the election campaign was conducted “with a notable imbalance in favor of the government in all areas. The official candidate had very ample resources, which resulted in a great disproportion of rallies, murals, billboards and posters in its favor.”

He also noted the “abuse of public resources,” including the use of vehicles, the mobilization of officials for the campaign, and the use of social programs.

The ruling party’s candidacy, he explained, “had a predominance” on television and radio in advertising, broadcasting events and information, and the authorities “tried to restrict” opposition campaigns, “including the persecution and intimidation of people who provided services” to anti-Chavez politicians “to generate a deterrent effect.”

Photograph of President Nicolás Maduro during his speech from the balcony of the people on July 31. Photo: EFE/ Prensa Miraflores

Despite everything, the note says, Venezuelan citizens mobilized massively and peacefully on July 28 to express their preferences and the voting day “took place in a civil manner, despite restrictions on access to premises for national observers” and “party witnesses.”

Pressure on the electorate

The organization also criticized the “pressure on the electorate” with “government-supporting checkpoints near the polling stations to verify voter turnout.”

Carter Center observers “verified the willingness of Venezuelan citizens to participate in a democratic electoral process and demonstrated their civic commitment as polling station members, party witnesses and observers.”

These efforts were undermined by the CNE’s lack of transparency in disseminating the results,” the organization said, recalling that the mission was invited to observe the 2024 presidential election and signed a memorandum of understanding to ensure that the mission could freely observe in accordance with its standards,” it added.

Share on

The president of the CNE, Elvis Amoroso, during the official bulletin of July 28 in Caracas. Photo: EFE/ Manuel Díaz

The Carter Center deployed 17 experts and observers beginning June 29, with teams in Caracas, Barinas, Maracaibo and Valencia, where they met with “a wide range of actors, including the CNE, candidates, political parties and civil society organizations,” among others.

He concluded that a final report of his observation mission in Venezuela will be published, detailing all the findings outlined in the statement.

With information from EFE

Related news