The Venezuelan non-governmental organization Provea has demanded that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) give a strong response to the victory of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro this weekend, in an election with several suspicions of fraud. Unlike other countries in the region such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru, Brazil has not yet made a statement.
Provea says that the “future of millions of people in Venezuela” depends on Lula’s position, since he was Maduro’s main guarantor in the promise signed in the Barbados Agreement that the election would take place in a fair and transparent manner – which indicates that it did not happen.
“The announcement of results that go against what Venezuelans experienced in the electoral centers will deepen the institutional crisis and result in a scenario that is different from a democratic transition in accordance with the Constitution and the full guarantee of human rights,” the organization said in a note issued minutes after the National Electoral Council (CNE), an organization linked to the Chavista regime, proclaimed Maduro’s victory with 51.2% of the votes.
Provea says it urges the international community to issue “pronouncements based on respect for the popular will” this Sunday (28).
“The Venezuelan people massively exercised their right to vote in the presidential elections of July 28 in Venezuela with the hope that, based on transparent and credible results, a process for the reconstruction of democracy can begin,” he points out.
Among the demands of the Venezuelan opposition is access to the minutes of the electoral zones and an independent audit of the votes recorded by the CNE.
The Venezuelan opposition claims that it did not have access to 70% of the minutes, that sessions were prolonged in Chavista areas and that there were reports of intimidation in opposition regions. At the end of the day, the CNE was accused of interrupting the transmission of votes in several areas.
Lula’s silence contrasts with that of other neighboring countries; Central America, such as Costa Rica and Guatemala; and the United States, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Victory contrasts with research
Maduro’s victory was confirmed in the early hours of Monday (29) by the CNE with 51.2% of the votes. The body, which is responsible for organizing the elections and is controlled by the Chavista regime, pointed out that the opponent Edmundo González, from the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUC), came in second place with 44.2%.
With the election result, Maduro won another reelection and will remain in power for another six years.
At the end of voting and the beginning of the count, the Venezuelan opposition accused the CNE of interrupting the transmission of the results from the polls, and that representatives were prevented from accessing the electoral records. It also points out that inspectors were removed from voting centers.
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