OAS: Venezuela Must Expedite Publication of Voting Records

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) approved a resolution by consensus this Friday that demands the Venezuelan authorities publish the precinct voting results of the July 28 elections in that country “expeditiously.”

The non-binding text was presented on behalf of the Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, Suriname, the United States and Uruguay as co-sponsors.

The resolution urges the National Electoral Council (CNE) to “expeditiously publish the presidential election records, including thevoting results at the level of each polling station, and (b) respect the fundamental principle of popular sovereignty through an impartial verification of the results that ensures the transparency, credibility, and legitimacy of the electoral process.”

This call is joined by another made this Friday by the European Union, including Spain, and 22 other countries, in favor of the “immediate publication of all original records” of the elections and the “impartial” and “independent” verification of the results of those elections, in which, according to the CNE, President Nicolas Maduro defeated the opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.

OAS Demands Protection of Electoral Equipment and Records

The OAS resolution also emphasizes the importance of “protecting and preserving all equipment used in the electoral process, including all records and printed results, in order to safeguard the entire chain of custody” of said process.

It also requests the protection of diplomatic facilities and resident personnel in Venezuelan territory, including those seeking asylum in such facilities.

The resolution calls on the interested parties to “refrain from any conduct that could compromise the construction of a peaceful solution to this crisis, respecting the sovereign will of the Venezuelan electorate.”

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The Permanent Council emphasized that it should be an absolute priority and an obligation for Venezuela “to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms, the right to life, liberty and security of person, especially the right to assemble peacefully and to the full exercise of civil and political rights without reprisal, the right to not be subject to arbitrary arrest or imprisonment, the right to a fair trial, as it is for all states of the Americas.” 

Showing that Venezuela “Is Not Alone”

“Let’s show the people of Venezuela that they are not alone,” said Francisco Mora, the US ambassador to the OAS, at the beginning of the session.

On July 31, another resolution demanding the immediate release of the electoral records failed within the Pan-American organization, headquartered in Washington.

That first text received 17 votes in favor, none against, 11 abstentions, and five absences, failing to achieve the absolute majority needed to pass.

The voting was split on that occasion due to a phrase urging a “comprehensive verification of the results in the presence of independent observation organizations to ensure the transparency, credibility, and legitimacy of the results.” The text approved now does not include that phrase.

This article was published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times. To get the most relevant news from our English coverage delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Dispatch.