He Carter Center, who participated as an observer in the presidential elections in Venezuelasaid on Tuesday that The process “did not conform” to international parameters and standards of electoral integrity, and therefore “cannot be considered democratic.”
The Atlanta-based group said in a statement that “the Carter Center cannot verify or corroborate the authenticity of the presidential election results declared by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE).”.
The organization highlighted that the electoral body, which has declared the official candidate the winnerNicolas MaduroWith more than two million votes still to be counted, it has not announced the results broken down by table, which“constitutes a serious violation of electoral principles
He explained that the electoral process“has not met international standards of integrity at any of its relevant stages and has violated numerous provisions of its own national legislation.”
According to the agency,“It took place 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 “showedbias 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 – he continues – “was aggravated abroad, where citizens faced “excessive, even arbitrary, legal barriers to registering abroad.”
He also said,The registration of parties and candidates “also 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.”
The organization also recalled, “even more importantly,” that theRegistration of the candidacy of the main opposition forces “was subject to the discretion of electoral authorities who made decisions without respecting basic legal principles.”
The Carter Center noted thatThe election campaign took place “with a notable imbalance in favour of the Government in all areas.The official candidate had very extensive resources, which resulted in a huge disproportionate number of rallies, murals, billboards and posters in their favour.”
He also noted“abuse of public resources”including the use of vehicles, the mobilization of officials for the campaign and the use of social programs.
La official candidacyhe explained,“had preponderance” on television and radioin advertising, broadcasting of events and information, and the authorities “attempted to restrict” opposition campaigns, “including the persecution and intimidation of people who provided services” to anti-Chavez politicians “to create a deterrent effect.”
Despite everything, the note says, Venezuelan citizens mobilized massively and peacefully on July 28 to express their preferences andThe voting day “took place in a civil manner”despite restrictions on access to premises for “national observers” and “party witnesses”.
The organization also criticized the“pressure on the electorate” con“government partisan checkpoints” in the vicinity of the enclosuresto verify voter attendance.”
Carter Center observers “verified theThe willingness of Venezuelan citizens to participate in a democratic electoral processand demonstrating hiscivic engagementas members of the table, witnesses of matches and observers”.
“These efforts werediscredited by the lack of transparency of the CNE in the dissemination of 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 observe freely in accordance with its standards,” it added.
The Carter Center deployed17 experts and observersStarting June 29th, with teams inCaracas, Barinas, Maracaibo and Valenciawhere they met with “a wide range of actors, including the CNE, candidates, political parties and civil society organizations,” among others.
The statement said that a final report of the Venezuelan observation mission would be published, detailing all the findings outlined in the statement.
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2024-07-31 12:51:45