SA observers declare Venezuela’s elections ‘free and fair’

Election observers, including members of the African National Congress (ANC), South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), have stated their unreserved confidence in the legitimacy of Venezuela’s presidential election.

Incumbent, President Nicolas Maduro, and his nearest challenger Edmundo Gonzalez both claimed victory once the polls closed on Sunday, with Maduro declared the winner by Monday morning with 51% of the vote.

A United States-based research firm predicted a 65% win for Gonzalez based on interviews conducted at 100 voting stations, while Venezuelan firm Meganalisis predicted a similar win for Gonzalez based on their exit polls.

Gonzalez is a stand-in for Maria Corina Machado, who was banned from running when a Venezuelan court found her guilty of fraud, despite a landslide victory in her party’s primary election.

System ‘one of the best in the world’

The 15-strong contingent of South African observers is being hosted in the Venezuelan capital by their counterparts from Maduro’s United Socialist Party.

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International media outlets have reported an expected win for Gonzalez, something the South Africans “condemn”.

“Voting has been free, fair and transparent. Claims or allegations of fraud have been found to be baseless and mischievous with Venezuela’s electoral system considered one of the best in the world,” said a joint statement issued by the observers.

The South Africans present include Cosatu General Secretary Solly Phetoe, ANC NEC member Obed Bapela and SACP Deputy General Secretary Madala Masuku.  

However, the United States has a different opinion.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington is concerned that the results do not reflect the will of the people in Venezuela.

“It’s critical that every vote be counted fairly and transparently that the electoral authorities immediately share information with the opposition and independent observers without delay and that the electoral authorities publish the tabulation of votes,” he said.

‘Incident-free’ claims

As well as expected victory for Gonzalez, Reuters reported that one man was killed in the western Venezuelan province of Tachira and that police needed to disperse protests and scuffles in Caracas.

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Despite this, the South African observers commended Venezuela’s electoral commission for ensuring an efficient voting day.

“The presidential elections in Venezuela started smoothly and were incident-free throughout the day. The government of Venezuela provided the necessary logistics to ensure elections are held under peaceful conditions,” stated the observers.

Argentina’s firebrand President Javier Milei called the declared results a fraud, while Costa Rica, Peru and Chile all rejected the outcome.

Russia, Cuba, Honduras and neighbours Bolivia have all accepted Maduro’s victory.

Biometric voting

The votes of Venezuelans are recorded on biometric voting machines that issue a paper receipt that is then verified by the voter.

El Pais states the machines have a battery backup so that they are not reliant on the Venezuelan electricity grid which suffers from regular blackouts.

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Stats provided by the South African observers say 21 million Venezuelans were eligible to vote, with the country’s voting stations totalling 16 025.

Like South Africa’s politicians, Maduro stated he would hold a “great national dialogue” upon his victory.

“We welcome President Nicolás Maduro’s commitment to recognise the presidential election result regardless of the outcome. We urge other candidates to also publicly declare the same,” concluded the observers.