Presidential Elections in Venezuela: Another Fraud on Democracy
The 28th July saw another presidential election in Venezuela marred by allegations of large-scale fraud. Contrary to predictions before the count was over, incumbent President Nicolás Maduro of the United Socialist Party (PSUV) was declared the winner, securing 51% of the vote as against 47% for his main opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
The opposition claimed they had received results from over 80% of polling stations, showing Gonzalez winning with over 73%, and as such, his lead was insurmountable. This assumption was further strengthened when, despite calls from the opposition and other countries in the region, the National Elections Council (CNE), tasked with conducting the election, refused to disclose more details or share results from more than 30 booths.
Nine member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) strongly condemned the flawed election.. Seven of them had to pay for their criticism by having their embassies closed in Caracas. These countries are Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. Two others, Ecuador and Panama, escaped the immediate reaction of Venezuela. Some other countries in the region may also receive orders to close their diplomatic missions in Caracás. Chile said it would not recognize the results unless they were verifiable. Uruguay called the whole process an "open secret", and El Salvador said what happened in Venezuela was nothing but fraud.
The opposition claimed they had received results from over 80% of polling stations, showing Gonzalez winning with over 73%, and as such, his lead was insurmountable. This assumption was further strengthened when, despite calls from the opposition and other countries in the region, the National Elections Council (CNE), tasked with conducting the election, refused to disclose more details or share results from more than 30 booths.
Nine member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) strongly condemned the flawed election.. Seven of them had to pay for their criticism by having their embassies closed in Caracas. These countries are Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. Two others, Ecuador and Panama, escaped the immediate reaction of Venezuela. Some other countries in the region may also receive orders to close their diplomatic missions in Caracás. Chile said it would not recognize the results unless they were verifiable. Uruguay called the whole process an "open secret", and El Salvador said what happened in Venezuela was nothing but fraud.
The EU and Colombia called for full transparency, including detailed vote counting, verification and an independent audit, as soon as possible. As expected, Venezuela's ideological allies in the region, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua and Honduras, along with Russia and China, welcomed the results and quickly congratulated Maduro, the former truck driver and trusted lieutenant of late charismatic Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez. Brazil, the largest socialist country in LAC, and Mexico have not yet given a clear reaction. Regarding the US position on the elections, Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognized the opposition candidate, Gonzalez, as the winner, predictably. The following day, Vedant Patel, Deputy Chief Spokesperson at the State Office, stated that the United States was "running out of patience" with Venezuela.
So far, President Maduro has refused to hold elections. The opposition have taken to the streets to protest against the ‘sham’ elections. Pro-government supporters, mainly consisting of party cadres called ‘Chavistas’, after the late firebrand President Chávez, and sympathizers, have also come out in support. Violent clashes between these two groups, as well as police action against protesters from the opposition, have so far claimed more than 400 lives in Venezuela, and increased the exodus of people from the torn nation to neighboring countries in search for a peaceful environment and livelihood.
The root cause of this conflict can be traced back to the economic boom that Venezuela experienced after the oil boom of 1972-1975, which quadrupled the country's economy. This was due to the discovery of large oil and gas reserves off its shores, which particularly enriched PDVSA, the country's largest oil company in the private sector, and those directly or indirectly connected to it. However, this widened the gap between the rich and poor. The success of the capitalist ideology governments grossly ignored the needs of the poor population, and the benefits of the boom were not shared with lower levels of Venezuelan society.. On the one hand, the soaring inflation made it difficult for ordinary people to make ends meet. On the other hand, the sheer public display of wealth by senior executives and their relatives, flying to Paris to enjoy a French meal or the junior officials flying to Miami for a weekend shopping trip, angered the masses.
The time was opportune for Chávez to ascend to the Miraflores Palace with a thumping majority in the 1999 election and nationalize the oil industry, much to the consternation of capitalist opponents. The United States, not wanting another socialist “fly” on its nose, imposed export restrictions on Venezuelan oil (the US was the largest importer of Venezuela's oil until then) and other sanctions and coercive measures against the government and high-ranking officials. Chávez responded with tighter control and the dismissal of almost a third of the oil giant's workforce. This caused a snowball effect, leading to a steep rise in inflation and poverty in Venezuela, which depended on imports for most of its goods.. Chavez', and after him, his successor Maduro, consolidated their grip on all pillars of democracy - the National Assembly, the judiciary, and also the CNE (the National Electoral Council mandated to organize elections). How the socialist government of Venezuela has manipulated elections will be clear from the fact that during the last 24 years of the PSUV's rule, the CNE, which has five elected members for a seven-year term, has been dissolved and reconstituted by the Supreme Court and the National Assembly more than 12 times, both having ruling party members / sympathizers in the majority! Moreover, almost all previous elections have been clearly flawed.. The losing candidate of the last election, Juan Guaido, and a consensus candidate for the recent elections, Maria Corena Machado, were both ‘disqualified’. As a result, Gonzalez, a less-known political figure, was hurriedly nominated by the opposition.
Why is the USA adamant about ousting Maduro and his associates? Firstly, the US does not want an inconvenient government in its neighborhood. Therefore, they always try for "regime change," as is clear from the extremely high number of coups d'état in Latin America and the Caribbean. Though it's another disturbing fact that, despite their repeated attempts, a pink revolution has gripped the region over the past few years. Related to this, there is oil diplomacy. Venezuela, once the second-largest producer of crude oil after Saudi Arabia, is now in 25th place, thanks to the US. Last year, after an agreement between Maduro and Guaidó over the electoral process, the US eased some sanctions on Venezuela, but they were reinstated this year as Maduro backtracked on his promises, according to opposition leaders.
Another related question is: why is Maduro playing all the tricks up his sleeve to stick to power despite the growing discontent among Venezuelans? The answer lies in the dictatorial mindset. A dictator is always caught in the spiral of tightening his grip on the country and increasing dissatisfaction and hate among the population.
Secondly, the US has placed a large bounty on the heads of Maduro and his vice president and a dozen other political and military leaders. While Maduro has a bounty of $15 million on his head, his vice president has $10 million, and the other leaders have $25 million each, for a total of $50 million. The entire group was convicted in absentia by US courts on charges ranging from drug trafficking, murder, and money laundering, and if he relinquished power, he would be captured and deported to the US to serve a life sentence, as happened to the president of Nicaragua a few years ago.. So, it has become a fight for survival for him and a struggle for dominance for the USA. As regards India, we have always had a cordial relationship with Venezuela, irrespective of the government that ruled in Caracas. Indeed, during the tenure of the late President Chavez, OVL Videsh was granted two oil fields in Venezuela without following the normal bidding process. The Jamnagar Refinery of Reliance regularly imports crude from Venezuela for processing, which was disrupted briefly but this year, the United States allowed the company to resume imports again. OVL also approached the US for a waiver. The impasse in Venezuela can only be broken in two ways - either the US makes a deal with Maduro to allow him and his team to leave Venezuela safely, or they remove him via a coup. The US is capable of both, but given its history in the region, it is likely the latter.
So far, President Maduro has refused to hold elections. The opposition have taken to the streets to protest against the ‘sham’ elections. Pro-government supporters, mainly consisting of party cadres called ‘Chavistas’, after the late firebrand President Chávez, and sympathizers, have also come out in support. Violent clashes between these two groups, as well as police action against protesters from the opposition, have so far claimed more than 400 lives in Venezuela, and increased the exodus of people from the torn nation to neighboring countries in search for a peaceful environment and livelihood.
The root cause of this conflict can be traced back to the economic boom that Venezuela experienced after the oil boom of 1972-1975, which quadrupled the country's economy. This was due to the discovery of large oil and gas reserves off its shores, which particularly enriched PDVSA, the country's largest oil company in the private sector, and those directly or indirectly connected to it. However, this widened the gap between the rich and poor. The success of the capitalist ideology governments grossly ignored the needs of the poor population, and the benefits of the boom were not shared with lower levels of Venezuelan society.. On the one hand, the soaring inflation made it difficult for ordinary people to make ends meet. On the other hand, the sheer public display of wealth by senior executives and their relatives, flying to Paris to enjoy a French meal or the junior officials flying to Miami for a weekend shopping trip, angered the masses.
The time was opportune for Chávez to ascend to the Miraflores Palace with a thumping majority in the 1999 election and nationalize the oil industry, much to the consternation of capitalist opponents. The United States, not wanting another socialist “fly” on its nose, imposed export restrictions on Venezuelan oil (the US was the largest importer of Venezuela's oil until then) and other sanctions and coercive measures against the government and high-ranking officials. Chávez responded with tighter control and the dismissal of almost a third of the oil giant's workforce. This caused a snowball effect, leading to a steep rise in inflation and poverty in Venezuela, which depended on imports for most of its goods.. Chavez', and after him, his successor Maduro, consolidated their grip on all pillars of democracy - the National Assembly, the judiciary, and also the CNE (the National Electoral Council mandated to organize elections). How the socialist government of Venezuela has manipulated elections will be clear from the fact that during the last 24 years of the PSUV's rule, the CNE, which has five elected members for a seven-year term, has been dissolved and reconstituted by the Supreme Court and the National Assembly more than 12 times, both having ruling party members / sympathizers in the majority! Moreover, almost all previous elections have been clearly flawed.. The losing candidate of the last election, Juan Guaido, and a consensus candidate for the recent elections, Maria Corena Machado, were both ‘disqualified’. As a result, Gonzalez, a less-known political figure, was hurriedly nominated by the opposition.
Why is the USA adamant about ousting Maduro and his associates? Firstly, the US does not want an inconvenient government in its neighborhood. Therefore, they always try for "regime change," as is clear from the extremely high number of coups d'état in Latin America and the Caribbean. Though it's another disturbing fact that, despite their repeated attempts, a pink revolution has gripped the region over the past few years. Related to this, there is oil diplomacy. Venezuela, once the second-largest producer of crude oil after Saudi Arabia, is now in 25th place, thanks to the US. Last year, after an agreement between Maduro and Guaidó over the electoral process, the US eased some sanctions on Venezuela, but they were reinstated this year as Maduro backtracked on his promises, according to opposition leaders.
Another related question is: why is Maduro playing all the tricks up his sleeve to stick to power despite the growing discontent among Venezuelans? The answer lies in the dictatorial mindset. A dictator is always caught in the spiral of tightening his grip on the country and increasing dissatisfaction and hate among the population.
Secondly, the US has placed a large bounty on the heads of Maduro and his vice president and a dozen other political and military leaders. While Maduro has a bounty of $15 million on his head, his vice president has $10 million, and the other leaders have $25 million each, for a total of $50 million. The entire group was convicted in absentia by US courts on charges ranging from drug trafficking, murder, and money laundering, and if he relinquished power, he would be captured and deported to the US to serve a life sentence, as happened to the president of Nicaragua a few years ago.. So, it has become a fight for survival for him and a struggle for dominance for the USA. As regards India, we have always had a cordial relationship with Venezuela, irrespective of the government that ruled in Caracas. Indeed, during the tenure of the late President Chavez, OVL Videsh was granted two oil fields in Venezuela without following the normal bidding process. The Jamnagar Refinery of Reliance regularly imports crude from Venezuela for processing, which was disrupted briefly but this year, the United States allowed the company to resume imports again. OVL also approached the US for a waiver. The impasse in Venezuela can only be broken in two ways - either the US makes a deal with Maduro to allow him and his team to leave Venezuela safely, or they remove him via a coup. The US is capable of both, but given its history in the region, it is likely the latter.
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