Electoral authorities in Venezuela dismiss United Nations experts' report, labeling it as driven by a "political agenda"
August 15, 2024 | Our Website - Venezuela's Electoral Council (CNE) draws fire over the UN electoral expert team report, branding it as "illegal" and "fraudulent."
In a fiery communique, the CNE lambasts the UN panel's report, accusing it of operating beyond its bounds with a dubious political agenda. The CNE asserts that the agreement with the UN stipulated that the four-person panel was not an observation mission, and thus they would abstain from making any public comments or judgments regarding the electoral process.
The CNE accuses the UN delegation of attempting to "delegitimize" the election with weak, easily debunked arguments. The CNE declares that their communication rails were under cyber-attack, and they promptly informed both national and international observers about the incident.
Contrary to UN claims, the CNE asserts that there were no changes to the assigned polling stations, and they upheld transparency by furnishing accurate cyberattack details. Moreover, they emphasize that neither UN experts nor observers were authorized to audit voting records or receive printed copies, with the voting and tabulation processes being entirely automated to preserve data integrity.
The UN experts' report, published on August 9, praises Venezuela's electronic voting system while questioning the adoption of contingency protocols, which allegedly led to the irregular transmission of 20% of polling station tallies. The UN experts also raise concerns about the CNE's refusal to publish detailed election results, especially the voter tallies from individual voting centers.
Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Ministry paint the UN report as a product of "hostile instructions" from the US State Department, suggesting the UN experts maintained frequent contacts with US officials during their stay in Venezuela. Meanwhile, the UN report contrasts with other international bodies' endorsement of the election process and its results.
Various international observers, including the National Lawyers Guild and Basque observers, expressed varying opinions. The former witnessed no instances of fraud or significant irregularities, noting voter satisfaction with the electoral process, while the latter denounced an "orchestrated operation" to instigate confusion and destabilize the country. However, the Carter Center criticized the elections, accusing them of failing to meet international standards, sparking a heated rebuttal from the Venezuelan government.
The political landscape following the July 28 presidential elections remains tense. The CNE declared President Maduro the winner with 51.95% of the votes compared to 43.18% for Edmundo González. The opposition, led by far-right María Corina Machado, has refused to acknowledge the official results, claiming González secured a landslide victory. Machado's team setup a website alleging to contain more than 80% of the voting tallies from electoral centers.
However, a Diario Red investigation revealed widespread irregularities in the initial batch of uploaded records, with signs of forged signatures and falsified hash codes. The opposition has yet to provide evidence to the Electoral Branch of the Venezuelan Supreme Court, where officials are investigating the cyberattack allegations. The ongoing investigation may cast doubt on the authenticity of the opposition's records.
- The Venezuelan Electoral Council (CNE) contests the United Nations (UN) electoral expert team's report, claiming it overstepped its boundaries with a questionable political agenda.
- Amidst the UN report's allegations of irregularities in the Venezuelan elections, the CNE asserts that no changes were made to the assigned polling stations and emphasizes the transparency of their cyberattack details.
- The UN experts' report praises Venezuela's electronic voting system while expressing concerns about the adoption of contingency protocols and the CNE's refusal to publish detailed election results.
- The political environment after the July 28 presidential elections remains contentious, with the opposition, led by María Corina Machado, contesting the official results and setting up a website alleging voting irregularities.
- General news outlets cover the ongoing tensions in Venezuelan politics, including crime and justice matters, as well as policy and legislation debates, while also reporting on war-and-conflicts in various regions.
