Venezuelans deserve transparency about their vote

On Sunday, millions of voting-age Venezuelans flocked to the polls for a presidential election that had raised high hopes to deliver the change that so many had been hoping for. Following years of suppression, Venezuela’s opposition had formed a formidable alliance committed to ending Nicolas Maduro’s authoritarian rule.

By all accounts, Edmundo Gonzalez, who was named presidential candidate after brave opposition leader Maria Corina Machado had been unfairly blocked from running, was on track to defeat the ruling United Socialist party and unseat Maduro, who has been leading his nation into chaos since he took office in 2013. Polling prior to the election and independent exit polls suggested that Gonzalez had received as much as 65% of the vote total – a comfortable majority reflective of the popular sentiment in this great Latin American nation. With inflation skyrocketing, public services collapsing and shortages of nearly everything from food to electricity, ordinary Venezuelans have had enough of Maduro’s regime, its corruption, and its continued repression of dissenting voices calling for liberty, freedom, democracy, and economic opportunity.

And yet, Maduro, who had warned of a “bloodbath” in case he lost, had other plans. On Sunday night, after polls closed, Venezuela’s election authority declared him the winner, claiming Maduro had received 51% of the total vote – a percentage so implausible that it suggests a textbook case of election fraud. Enraging as it is, the announcement won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has been following Venezuela’s political and economic decline over the past decades. What saddens me is that people who are so quick to discredit fair and transparent elections in other countries have created an unnecessary distraction from the real cheats like Maduro.

Of course, the usual lineup of Maduro’s remaining allies – Russia, Iran, China, and Cuba – quickly rushed to congratulate him. But thankfully, many of Venezuela’s Latin American neighbours raised doubts about the result, as did the United States, the EU, and many other leaders. The international community must keep up the pressure and should not recognize these rigged results. With its history of voter and candidate intimidation, flawed registrations, as well as the arbitrary detention of opposition leaders, Venezuela’s government must release official voting records from all polling stations, as well as disaggregated results as quickly as possible.

Already, Venezuelans are taking to the streets in Caracas and elsewhere to protest Maduro’s power grab and express their frustration. Their numbers are likely to grow over the coming days. Maduro must know that he has reached the end of the line. He has lost the trust of the people. It’s time to acknowledge that now. Venezuelans deserve better.