In a report published this Monday, the observer delegation from the Carter Center concluded that the presidential elections in Venezuela, held on July 27, cannot be considered democratic. Additionally, it validated the records held by the opposition, which indicate that Edmundo González Urrutia was the true winner.
Electoral Process that Failed to Meet International Standards
The report points out that, although these elections represented “an opportunity for fair competition,” the result was the complete opposite. The elections failed to meet international standards and cannot be considered democratic.
Lack of Transparency in the Electoral Process
The Carter Center emphasizes that, despite requests from the institution and several international bodies to the National Electoral Council (CNE) to provide the evidence showing Nicolás Maduro’s victory, these were never delivered.
“The CNE did not publish the electronic results from the machines, nor did it make public the records issued by each of them,” the report mentioned.
Inability to Verify the Results
According to the Carter Center, the results announced by the CNE could not be verified independently, which represented a serious violation of electoral principles and the rights of the Venezuelan people.
Lack of an Impartial Legal Framework and a Polarized Environment
The report also notes that there was no impartial legal framework, as there were no neutral or transparent electoral officers, no complete electoral register, and no freedom for candidate campaigns or media coverage.
“The elections were held in an environment of extreme polarization between the government and the opposition, amidst concerns about human rights and the migration crisis affecting millions of Venezuelans,” the document adds.
Hostile Environment Towards the Opposition and Arrests of Activists
In this context, the report notes that the electoral process took place in a hostile environment towards the opposition. Among the challenges mentioned are the disqualification of candidates like María Corina Machado, the blocking of Corina Yoris’s registration, and the intervention of at least 15 political parties by the Supreme Court of Justice, which is aligned with the chavista government.
Furthermore, the report highlights that more than 130 activists and political leaders were detained before and after the voting.
“The government disproportionately used state resources to favor the campaign of the official candidate,” the text points out.
Independent Analysis of the Electoral Results
Read the final report for the Center’s observation of the 2024 presidential election in #Venezuela here: https://t.co/OcPQHqVZem pic.twitter.com/wACcMHjLR7
— The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) February 17, 2025
In its independent analysis of the documents, the Carter Center concludes that Edmundo González Urrutia would have received 7,156,462 votes, while Nicolás Maduro received 3,242,461 votes, with 81.7% of the records received and counted.
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