On Tuesday (30), Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party) talked about the political crisis that emerged in Venezuela after the announcement of Nicolás Maduro’s victory on Sunday (28). A series of violent protests have been taking the streets since the opposition declared they did not accept the result and insisted there was a fraud.
“If there is a problem, how will it be resolved? Make voting records public. If there are doubts between the opposition and the current government about the voting count, the opposition will file an appeal and wait for the process to run its course in the courts. There will be a decision we must accept,” he told Brazilian TV news channel Globonews.
“I'm convinced it's a normal process. What's needed is for people who don't agree to have the right to express themselves and for the government to have the right to prove that it's right.”
“The Workers’ Party praised the Venezuelan people for the peaceful elections that took place and also acknowledged that the Venezuelan Electoral Court recognized Maduro as the winner. But the opposition hasn't yet, so there's a process. I see the Brazilian press treating it as if it were World War III, but there's nothing unusual about it.”
“When the records [‘actas’, in Spanish] have been presented, and it is established that they are true, we all must recognize the electoral results in Venezuela.”
The president also rejected the idea of a joint declaration by Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela. “I don't think it's necessary. President Maduro knows perfectly well that the more transparency there is, the more chance he will have to govern Venezuela with peace of mind.”
“As a citizen and as a president, I think we need to put an end to foreign interference in other countries,” he said of the unilateral economic blockade the US imposed on Caracas.
“Venezuela has the right to build its model of growth and development without a blockade. A blockade that has killed Cuba for 60 years, a blockade that penalizes Iran and Venezuela. We have to stop it. Every country builds its own democratic process and has its own electoral process,” he concluded.
Lula's statements came after a phone call with US President Joe Biden. The two spoke for around 30 minutes, and Lula noted that he has been constantly monitoring the electoral process through his Special Advisor, Celso Amorim, who traveled to Caracas. The two presidents agreed that the release of electoral records is essential.
Election, supposed fraud and violence: how did we get here?
Last Sunday's (28) election had no disturbances, according to the electoral authorities. The final results were released at around 1 a.m. on Monday (29) by the National Electoral Council (CNE, in Spanish).
With 80% of the ballots counted, the CNE gave victory to current president Nicolás Maduro with 51.2% of the votes against 44.2% for Edmundo González Urrutia, a right-wing former diplomat and the main opposition candidate. The results, according to the CNE, were already irreversible.
In the Miraflores Palace, the official residence of the Venezuelan president, Maduro gave his victory speech surrounded by supporters. He thanked voters and called for respect for the election results. "There will be peace, stability and justice. Respect the decision of July 28," he said.
Minutes later, the opposition came out and did not recognize the results. González appeared accompanied by María Corina Machado, the opposition leader disqualified from holding public office in the country due to problems with Venezuelan courts. He said he was the winner of the contest.
Without evidence, the opponents claimed "electoral fraud" and said they had voting records that supposedly proved the difference in numbers.
After González and Machado's stance, the following day was one of tension and violence. Marches took place in historically opposition strongholds in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, and demonstrators even set fire to public buildings and property.
The government denounced the actions, blamed the opposition for the violence, and classified the movement as an "attempted coup d'état.”
On Monday night (29), Edmundo González and María Corina Machado once again denounced an "electoral fraud", but this time they gave figures: the right-wing candidate supposedly won with more than 6 million votes.
They also claimed to have 73% of the electoral records called “actas” in Spanish that would prove González victory and would be made available on a website. The website, however, does not allow a wide consultation of the actas, making it impossible to check the veracity of the opposition narrative.
As of 6 p.m. on July 30, the CNE had not yet released all the actas. Countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Mexico are awaiting the figures for a final position on the process.
Edited by: Rodrigo Durão Coelho
