View of the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations from the Venezuelan seat. Photo: File photo.
Venezuela has categorically rejected the publication of the preliminary report of the United Nations panel of electoral experts, stating that it spreads “a series of lies.”
In a statement issued this Wednesday, August 14, by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, it is highlighted that the report violates “in content and method, not only the principles that govern the operation of the expert groups, but also the terms of reference signed by the UN with the Venezuelan Electoral Power (CNE), which represents an absolutely imprudent act that undermines confidence in this mechanism designed for cooperation and technical assistance.”
A panel of experts from the United Nations stated that Venezuela’s recent presidential elections lacked “basic transparency and integrity,” in an interim report signed on August 9 and published by the United Nations this Tuesday, August 13.
Mediante un comunicado #Venezuela "rechaza de manera categórica el “Informe preliminar” del Panel de Expertos Electorales de la ONU, el cual difunde una serie de mentiras, violando en contenido y método, no solo los principios que rigen el funcionamiento de los grupos de… pic.twitter.com/1UUDey9A6g
— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) August 14, 2024
While the UN panel of electoral experts praised the logistic organization of the voting, it harshly criticized the National Electoral Council (CNE) for announcing Maduro the winner without tabulated results from each of the 30,000 polling stations nationwide, something it said “had no precedent in contemporary democratic elections.”
The Venezuelan statement emphasizes that UN observers Domenico Tuccinardi (head of the delegation), Fernanda Abreu, Roly Dávila, and MarĂa de Lourdes González have had broad access to all phases of the electoral process that resulted in President Nicolás Maduro being re-elected.
It is also noted that these agents were able to verify the excellent functioning of the Venezuelan system, “which is why the opinion expressed in their irresponsible writing is nothing more than an act of propaganda that serves the coup interests of the Venezuelan far-right, with which they interacted constantly before, during, and after the aforementioned elections.”
Attack on democracy will fail
Gil further reiterated that the leaders of the far-right sector of the opposition hae designed a violent plan, implemented on July 29 and 30, which involved ignoring the election results “that the ‘experts’ deliberately hide.”
“It is striking that during their stay in Venezuela, the members of this fake panel of experts had frequent direct contacts, via telephone and video conferences, with officials of the United States Department of State,” the statement reads, “which is why there is no doubt that their statements are the product of hostile instructions issued by this body, which they appear to serve in isolation from the commitments they should have assumed within the framework of their mandate.”
Deconstructing Serious Irregularities in the Voting Records Published by Venezuelan Opposition
It also said that the unethical and unprofessional attitude of this group leaves “a negative mark due to its erratic actions,” allowing itself to be imposed and promoting a violent agenda, with the aim of “damaging Venezuelan democracy and sowing doubts about the functioning of its constitutional institutions.”
“This attack on democracy, carried out by false electoral experts, will also fail,” the statement concludes, “and justice and respect for the sovereign will of its people will prevail in Venezuela.”
(Ăšltimas Noticias) by Maria Eugenia Rodriguez with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
