International Oversight Committee presented report on the Parliamentary Elections 2020 in Venezuela

This Monday, the International Oversight Committee presented the report on the Parliamentary Elections 2020 in Venezuela.

This was announced through a broadcast by Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), the Council of Electoral Experts of Latin America in agreement of the National Electoral Council (CNE), who to date, have participated for 2 months, in the 13 processes of audits carried out in the country before the elections, from the first one, carried out for the electoral registry, then going through the audits of data, software and voting books, among others.

The process in the parliamentary elections of December 6 in Venezuela fully complied with national and international standards, in audits and administration, with the participation of political organizations and citizens who voted with responsibility and respect to achieve order and tranquility, in the demonstration of an automated, efficient and democratic electoral system, expressed the members of the group of international observers in their general report presented this Monday before the National Electoral Council (CNE).

In this regard, they highlighted: “We acknowledge the legitimacy, legality and respect for the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” as they read in the report.

They also added: «More than 150 observers from around the world, representatives of political, social and international organizations, express our gratitude for the attention received by the CNE to guarantee our presence, carry out our task within the framework of absolute freedom, without any type of conditioning in the context of the pandemic, and the multifactorial blockade that we condemn and demand the end of all kinds of external interference in internal affairs of Venezuela, the affairs of Venezuelans are to be resolved by Venezuelans,” they read in the first part of the general report on the observation of these elections.

“We reject external interference and declarations of non-recognition by the governments of the United States, Canada and the European Union, which, having been invited with all guarantees to audit and witness the elections, preferred not to send electoral observation missions”, denounced the Committee.

They also urged the governments of the United States, Canada and the European Union: “We urge these governments to recognize the results,” said the spokesperson who read the general report.

For their part, the international observers valued Venezuelan democracy, which in 20 years has carried out 25 electoral processes, in which the participation of all those political forces that have wanted to do so has been guaranteed, “without any questioning or limitation, always respecting the Constitution, the laws and the results of the popular will expressed in secret votes, ” they highlighted during their presentation.

Meanwhile, Nicanor Moscoso, president of the Latin American Commission of Electoral Experts (CEELA), widely highlighted the system of audits of all steps of the electoral process.

“We have verified that the dialogue board that started in 2019 has produced results, due to citizen trust and in political organizations and candidates,” said Moscoso, who acknowledged the results released by the CNE, which reflect the will of the millions of citizens who participated in the election.

The Argentinean delegation, for its part, emphatically highlighted the recognition of the Venezuelan automated electoral system, and praised the system of audits that has given certainty to the act of voting.

For her part, Marina Irruirla stressed that the successful process was carried out amidst the pandemic, guaranteeing the protection of the health of all participants, voters, polling station members, members of the Republic Plan, candidates and representatives of political parties, as in no other country in the region. She recalled that Venezuela was the last country to meet its electoral schedule of the many that did so in 2020.

“Venezuela faced more difficulties than the rest, for different reasons: Firstly because its audit schedule is self-imposed by law, something that does not exist in other nations,” she said in admiration, contrasting that in other countries they simply stopped complying with electoral phases or steps to ensure transparency due to coronavirus.

In addition, she confirmed that in all the audits the participation of political parties has been very high, corroborating and confirming 100% of the examinations carried out, certifying and signing the minutes of audits in each instance of the electoral process, something that, to Argentineans and other countries in the area, is absolutely unknown: “It only happens in Venezuela”, emphasized the observer.