A person inserts a ballot into a ballot box bearing CNE logo. Photo: AVN.
By Luis Fuenmayor Toro – Jun 4, 2025
We are accustomed, now more than ever, because the manipulative lies of polarized politicians are more numerous and of greater caliber, to listen to ridiculous political rationalizations, in order not to accept a defeat or to undermine or inflate a victory. It is not that before, in the last century, this was not done; it has always been done, but in the past there was a little more shame on the part of everyone, governments and oppositions, a situation that existed until the first years of this century, with Chávez, and that was lost in the last decade. Today, shamelessness prevails, and political personalities openly spread whatever nonsense. The common people, however, are aware of things, and although they are influenced by the existing perverse political directions, they know what happened and what it means for their future. They know that things are getting worse.
“Maduro today, after the great abstention of May 25, is on the ropes,” says an opposition leader (not a “leader,” which is a meaningless term), who curiously flees and hides from the danger posed by this poor cornered being. At the same time, the presidential puppet [Edmundo González Urrutia], who claims to be elected, affirms that “he will make Maduro surrender power with the participation of all Venezuelans,” who do not think the same. But he goes on to say that “the moment will come when the positive outcome will take place, and that moment is very near,” which is a false statement that has been repeated for years, that he and everyone knows to be false, and that far from creating hope and enthusiasm, generates bewilderment and irritation.
On the governmental side, the behavior is no different. Lies, half-truths, manipulation, demagogy, mockery, and cynicism are the responses to the serious crisis that affects us. “Please Chevron, don’t leave, but if you do, it won’t hurt our oil production, in fact, it might even increase.” So why do they need Chevron at all?
They celebrate what should be seen as a pyrrhic victory so hollow that other governments would be analyzing it with alarm, given that abstention reached almost 80 percent of registered voters, according to the CNE’s own figures. But then they conjure up the concept of the “active voter,” and suddenly the abstention rate drops like magic. Only their most obtuse fanatics believe this sleight of hand, which does nothing to change the reality of the massive abstention that everyone can see. And by the way, I still haven’t seen any published results. We only have the word of people who aren’t exactly known for keeping their word.
Electorally, anything could have happened, but politically there was a concrete, real, existing and undeniable result: the government won and did not have to cheat to win, its opponents simply did not go to vote. The process was calm and smooth. If anything, it did something unconventional, they say, it was to give the opposition that participated a somewhat greater representation than it had, closer to what it would have had if the electoral system was not of a majority nature, which, besides being unfair, is unconstitutional. Maduro’s government, which is supposedly on the ropes and close to surrender, obtained 22 of the 23 real governorships of the states, the majority in all the legislative councils of the country and also all but 28 deputies of the National Assembly. For the purposes of concrete politics, it does not matter how they got those results, what matters is that they got them.
The opposition groups that participated in the elections were electorally defeated and have very little representation, lower than what they should have, since the electoral majority system works against them. Instead of opposing the infamous and unconstitutional system used by the CNE, which gives everything to those who win and nothing to those who lose, and persecuting the opposition victims of that system, and denouncing their collusion with the government, as some do, they should be fighting for an electoral system really adapted to what is mandated by the Constitution. Undoubtedly, several parties and leaders had a gallant, enthusiastic, honest and sincere participation, but they did not obtain the required votes to have a greater number of deputies. They could not convince people to vote, nor to vote for them, in spite of the sympathies they evidently aroused in the voters.
Abstention has been incorporated in our democracy since the second election of Carlos Andrés Pérez, when it was 38% higher than in the election of Jaime Lusinchi. Today, with the constant population growth in this century, it is already a structural phenomenon, which means that the number of non-participating voters could not be reduced no matter what is done. There may be discussions about the meaning of abstention at a given moment, but undoubtedly, in the elections of last May, the most defeated group was the people of Venezuela, the same people who abstained, since they are the ones who suffer the effects of the idleness, ignorance, irresponsibility, wickedness, mockery, and cynicism of those who govern and those who supposedly make them a fierce opposition, but who end up being their accomplices. That is why both celebrate the electoral results equally, that is why both look happy and prepare for the next revolutionary gesture of popular defeat: the elections of mayors and municipal councils.
(Aporrea)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
Luis Fuenmayor Toro
Luis Fuenmayor Toro is a Venezuelan physician and surgeon, and a university professor, based in Caracas. He was rector of the Central University of Venezuela from 1988 to 1992. Fuenmayor Toro was a Chavista sympathizer until 2009 when he joined the opposition.
