Venezuela held deeply flawed presidential elections on July 28. With 80 percent of votes counted, incumbent Nicolas Maduro secured more than 51 percent of the vote, defeating the Democratic Unitary Platform candidate Edmundo González Urrutia who garnered more than 44 percent of the vote, according to a statement by the National Electoral Council.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken applauded the Venezuelan people for their participation in the election and commended “their courage and commitment to democracy in the face of repression and in the face of adversity.” Nevertheless, he expressed grave reservations about the outcome of the vote:
“We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people. It's critical that every vote be counted fairly and transparently, that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and independent observers without delay, and that the electoral authorities publish the detailed tabulation of votes. The international community is watching this very closely and will respond accordingly.”
Claims of election irregularities started to emerge as the votes were being counted — including opposition witnesses being denied access to the National Electoral Council headquarters as they tallied the votes. The electoral council has been criticized for its lack of impartiality.
Indeed, the State Department raised concerns last year about what it said were “ongoing efforts to remake the composition” of the council, while the European Parliament adopted a resolution in February accusing the Maduro regime of making changes to the National Electoral Council it said were “designed to hamper the electoral process and quash any prospect of a return to democracy.”
Efforts by Maduro to interfere in the election started well before the polling stations opened on Sunday. According to a report by Laboratorio de Paz, at least 71 people had been arbitrarily detained during the election campaign – most of them after having provided help to the opposition.
The Maduro government has also put up obstacles for the millions of Venezuelans abroad to vote, including widely unattainable passport and residency requirements.
Moreover, only a very limited number of election observers were allowed to monitor the vote.
This election was a choice for Venezuelans to make, said Secretary Blinken, “the Venezuelan people deserve an election that genuinely reflects their will, free from any manipulation.” That’s why every vote must be counted fairly and transparently.
