Several groups of Spanish and Latin American parliamentarians, as well as a delegation of former presidents invited by the Venezuelan opposition to observe the general elections, were unable to enter Venezuela due to the refusal of local authorities. From Caracas, the PUD condemned the fact that they were prevented from travelling.
This happens to one day before the presidential elections, scheduled for July 28, in which President Nicolás Maduro, of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), and former ambassador Edmundo González, who leads the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), face each other.
In these elections 10 candidates will participate, and Edmundo González has the support of the largest opposition coalition, according to traditional pollsters.
Under the slogan of “transparency,” the pro-Chavez leader Elvis Amoroso, president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), uses every public intervention to highlight the virtues of the Venezuelan electoral system. While the opposition, on the one hand, recognizes that the system is fast and secure, but distrusts those who administer it.
The contradictions of the ruling party and the complaints of the opposition
Chavismo emphasizes transparency while the opposition and international observers express doubts.
The elections are expected to be monitored by international observers to verify the absence of manipulation or cheating, which are frequent accusations by anti-Chavez supporters against the government.
Authorities have said that more than 635 international observers confirmed their visit to Venezuela for the electoral process. In March, The CNE invited the European Union (EU), but withdrew the invitation two months later.
The Superior Electoral Court of Brazil canceled the sending of observers following statements by Nicolás Maduro about the Brazilian voting system, questioning its reliability.
Former Argentine President Alberto Fernández, who had received an invitation, declared that “the Venezuelan national government asked me not to travel and to desist from fulfilling the task entrusted to me by the National Electoral Council,” he wrote on his X account (formerly Twitter).
As can be seen in the note shown, the National Electoral Council of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela called me to participate as an observer of the election that will be held in that country next Sunday.
Yesterday, the Venezuelan national government informed me… pic.twitter.com/MAVkjCwJIS
— Alberto Fernandez (@alferdez) July 24, 2024
Green Party senator Angélica Lozano and the former mayor of Bogotá also reported on July 26 that they were prevented from entering Venezuela and deported upon arrival at Caracas airport.
Luis Vicente León, president of the consulting firm Datanálisis, said in an interview with BBC World“This is the most complex election that Chavismo has faced and the best opportunity that the opposition has had in terms of obtaining a favorable result, due to the high desire for change and support for the opposition candidate.”
Expectations for the presidential elections
Maduro and González face each other in an election marked by uncertainty, some of the reasons for this are:
- The Democratic Unitary Platform, which brings together the most important opposition parties, is the opposition that has had a clear advantage in the polls since Chavismo was established 25 years ago.
- More than 21 million Venezuelans are eligible to vote. More than 5,000 Venezuelans traveled to their country from Colombia between July 20 and 27 to participate in the polls.
- According to data from the consulting firm Datanálisis: “This is the moment where there is the greatest opposition preference of any presidential event in 25 years of (Bolivarian) revolution, that is, it is the best position that the opposition has had and the highest risk that the government has faced.”
#Government #prevents #international #delegations #entering #country
