HRW asked not to recognize Maduro’s victory due to incomplete records

• The NGO stated that the CNE’s proclamation of Nicolás Maduro’s victory is a move that violates the political rights of Venezuelans

The non-governmental organization (NGO) Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged governments on Monday, July 29, not to recognize the results of the Venezuelan elections announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE) that declared Nicolás Maduro the winner “until all the electoral records are made public and communicated to the opposition.”

In a statement sent to the EFE agency, Juanita Goebertus, director for the Americas of HRW, considers that the proclamation of Maduro’s victory by the CNE in the early hours of Monday, July 29, with 80% of the votes counted, “is a shameless movement that violates the political rights of all Venezuelans.”

Goebertus recalled that Venezuelan law itself establishes that electoral victories must be declared only after the electoral records have been made public and communicated to the opposition.

Juanita Goebertu stressed that the international community must use all diplomatic tools at its disposal “to urge the authorities to count the votes in a fair and transparent manner.”

The brief statement by HRW’s leadership echoes reservations expressed by governments across Latin America, as well as the United States, the European Union and Spain.

Of the Latin American governments that were most critical of the results – Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay – received an order from Caracas on July 29 to “immediately withdraw their representatives from Venezuelan territory.”

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said the decision was made in rejection of his “interventionist actions and statements” regarding the presidential elections on Sunday, July 28.

Photo: EFE

International community demands clarity

The vast majority of the international community demanded transparency from the Venezuelan authorities in the recount of the presidential elections held on July 28, in which the electoral body, controlled by Chavismo, attributed the victory to the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, with 51% of the votes.

The United States, the European Union and most Latin American countries expressed their concern about the recount and demanded clarity and the publication of all the electoral records so that the results, which declared Maduro the winner, could be verified. Maduro was congratulated by countries such as Russia, Iran and China.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has “serious concerns that the announced results do not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people,” White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said in a telephone press briefing.

The spokesman said it was “absolutely critical that every vote be counted fairly and transparently, that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and independent observers, and that electoral authorities publish full and detailed voting records.”

The governments of Uruguay, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and the Dominican Republic, in a joint statement issued on July 29, expressed their deep concern over the conduct of the elections, demanded a complete review of the results and requested an urgent meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS).

“The vote count must be transparent and the results must not leave any room for doubt,” the statement said.

With information from EFE.

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