DISINFO: Elections in Venezuela were free and fair
SUMMARY
The United States and the European Union have once again rushed to denounce the legitimacy of the electoral process several weeks before the polls opened. These allegations could, of course, be very easily confirmed or refuted by sending international observers. But once again, the most powerful countries in the West rejected Maduro’s request to send independent experts. In particular, Brussels set a condition for the delay of the election process, which would be in violation of the Venezuelan constitution which stipulates that elections must be held by the end of the year in order to replace the members of the National Assembly.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin media report in support of Venezuela and of the authoritarian Maduro regime. It also aims to discredit international and European criticism to the electoral process and accuse the West and more specifically, the EU, of interference in the country's domestic affairs.
The EU warned the Venezuelan authorities early on about the need to create proper conditions for fair and free elections to be held. The HR/VP of the European Commission Josep Borrell had tried to achieve a consensus between the Maduro regime and the opposition led by Juan Guaido on minimum requirements for elections to be held. These efforts took place as early as last September.
Additionally, the EU communicated that it would never accept holding parliamentary elections in Venezuela unless certain conditions were met. The main condition for which the EU worked was to hold inclusive elections and never to interfere in domestic affairs. This is why two EEAS' officials met with the Maduro regime. That was the reason the EU mentioned that an Election Observation Mission could not be sent in Venezuela, as the Maduro regime proposed, as far as conditions for inclusive representation of all people and political forces were met. The low turnout in the elections only reached 31%, less than half than the 70% in the legislative elections in 2015 in which the opposition prevailed.