A panel of experts from the United Nations has raised concerns about the recent presidential elections in Venezuela, stating that they lacked basic transparency and integrity. The experts, sent by U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, spent over a month in Caracas leading up to the July 28 election as independent observers invited by President Nicolás Maduro's government.
While the U.N. team commended the logistical organization of the voting process, they strongly criticized the National Electoral Council (CNE) for not following local rules. The CNE declared Maduro the winner without providing tabulated results from all 30,000 polling booths across the country, a move described as unprecedented in contemporary democratic elections.
This lack of transparency has led to a significant loss of confidence in the election outcome among a large portion of the Venezuelan electorate, according to the U.N. experts. The Carter Center, another invited observer, also expressed doubts about the CNE's results.
Although the U.N. team did not confirm opposition claims that their candidate, Edmundo González, had defeated Maduro by a wide margin, they noted that the voting records published by the anti-Maduro coalition appeared to have all the necessary security features.
Following the election, over 2,000 individuals have been arrested by security forces for protesting against Maduro or questioning the election results. The U.N.'s top human rights official has expressed concern over these arbitrary detentions and the disproportionate use of force in Venezuela.
The opposition in Venezuela is gearing up for a demonstration to increase pressure on Maduro to acknowledge defeat and engage in a political transition. However, opposition leader María Corina Machado cautioned that resolving the political crisis may take time and could involve challenging days ahead.
The U.N. human rights office has called for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained individuals and emphasized the need for fair trial guarantees. They also condemned the use of excessive force by law enforcement officials and violence against demonstrators.
The International Criminal Court prosecutors have stated that they are closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela.
