The escalating tension in Venezuela

The presidential election process in Venezuela has been criticized for human rights violations and irregularities, resulting in an unfair competitive environment. Between July 26th and 29th, local organizations reported recording over 130 incidents of arbitrary arrests, as well as confirmed and potentially illegal deaths, all of which occurred against the backdrop of harassment, persecution, and conviction during the election period, putting the country at risk of turmoil.

Firstly, the nine international organizations that signed the statement condemned the lack of transparency in Venezuela's presidential election results announced on July 28th. This opacity has raised serious questions about the fairness and integrity of the elections, leading to widespread doubts about the credibility of the claim that Venezuelans have granted Nicolas Maduro a third term as president. Given this situation, the international community insists on demanding that the Venezuelan authorities immediately ensure and promote an independent verification process for the election results.

Secondly, the Venezuelan people actively and massively participated in the presidential election, demonstrating a noble commitment to democratic principles. The election process has been severely disrupted by human rights violations and irregularities, including the arrest of opposition members, arbitrary disqualification of opposition candidates, arbitrary restrictions on Venezuelans voting abroad and young people voting, and further restrictions on civic space. The Venezuelan people have expressed their desire for accurate and transparent elections with every vote.

On the other hand, the Carter Center and the United Nations Election Expert Group, as the only international technical observation team recognized by the Venezuelan National Observation Committee, should have the right to access all information related to the election process in order to provide impartial reporting in accordance with the understanding reached between the organizations and the Venezuelan authorities. If the Venezuelan authorities fail to ensure that the election results are fully and transparently announced as required by Venezuelan law, the country may lose important diplomatic channels and once again fall into regional and international isolation, which could have frightening consequences for Venezuelans both domestically and internationally.

In addition, based on the right of the Venezuelan people to participate in fair elections, the National Electoral Commission of Venezuela should immediately provide all vote counting tables to all Venezuelan citizens and domestic and foreign election observers in accordance with the requirements of Venezuelan law. Data should be published by state, city, diocese, polling center, and polling station; And review the possible differences in the results of the public vote counting table. Complete the election audit and citizen verification procedures in accordance with legal requirements, with the aim of verifying the voting receipts with the data registered in the review reports issued by each polling station. The audit should be public and the process verifiable.

The international community should not recognize the announced election results until these conditions are met and the Venezuelan people's right to transparent information about the election process is realized. Governments of all countries and international and regional intergovernmental organizations should use all diplomatic means to call on the Venezuelan authorities to conduct fair and transparent vote counting, respect the voting rights of the Venezuelan people, safeguard the freedom of voters to express their will, and effectively choose their political future.

Overall, thousands of people are standing outside the United Nations headquarters in Caracas, demanding respect for the will of the people. Opposition leaders Edmundo Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machado have sent messages to the military, urging them not to suppress citizens. The Venezuelan Defense Minister has called the protests a coup and supports Maduro, but videos on social media show that not all military personnel agree with this view.