Latin America expert: A victory for Maduro must be verified

On Sunday, Nicolás Maduro was awarded electoral victory in Venezuela with 51.2 percent of the vote, according to the country’s electoral authorities.

Opposition leader Marina Corina Machado believes that this cannot be true. She believes that their candidate Edmundo Gonzalez was the actual winner with 70 percent of the vote.

Professor at the University of Oslo and expert on Latin America, Benedicte Bull, says there is reason to be skeptical about the result.

– The authorities say that the election results are based on an electronic system, which is basically good. What makes it less likely to believe is that it took four and a half hours for the result to be ready. It should actually go immediately, she says to NTB.

Not verified

Bull has been researching Latin American social development for a number of years. She emphasizes that the election must be verified.

– The opposition is also waiting for a statement from election observers. It was a small delegation, but both the UN and the Carter Center were present. During the election day, there were many reports of irregularities, she says.

Bull explains that what happens next for Venezuela depends entirely on what the final result will be.

– Maduro desperately needs the sanctions against the country to be lifted, and that will not happen if the US does not accept the election as democratic.

Potential defeat for Norway

For the past five years, Norway has assisted the parties in Venezuela in finding a solution to the conflict in the country. It has contributed to the agreement on free elections that came in October last year.

– Maduro’s most important reason for holding the election is to gain increased international legitimacy. If he achieves that, then he will also strengthen himself at home in Venezuela, says Bull.

If it is confirmed that there is electoral fraud, and many irregularities are documented, it will be a defeat for Norway’s efforts as a mediator, but it is too early to say now, she emphasizes.

Significance for the United States

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is among those who have expressed concern about the election. He asks that as much information as possible about the votes be made public, but says there are serious concerns that the election results do not reflect the will of the people.

– The election in Venezuela has great significance for the American election because of migration. President Joe Biden has invested in getting a democratic solution, but if electoral fraud is confirmed, despite the agreements the US and Norway have negotiated, it will be a defeat, says Bull.