- UN slams Venezuela repression and lack of transparency
- Independent Carter Center also declared the election “undemocratic”
- Both groups have criticised Venezuela’s CNE for declaring Maduro the winner without releasing detailed voting results
- UN also highlighted a “climate of fear” following the election citing over 2,400 arbitrary detentions
Venezuela election: UN slams Venezuela repression and lack of transparency
A group of United Nations experts has condemned Venezuela’s recent presidential election, stating that it lacked “basic transparency and integrity.” Their concerns mirror those of the Carter Center, whose independent observers also declared the election “undemocratic.”
Both groups have criticised Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) for declaring President Nicolás Maduro the winner without releasing detailed voting results. The UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk, also highlighted a “climate of fear” following the election, citing over 2,400 arbitrary detentions since the contested results were announced on July 29. Türk expressed alarm at the widespread use of counterterrorism laws to charge citizens with incitement to hatred.
The UN condemned the “fierce repression” by the state in response to street protests and social media criticism following the election. According to the UN’s independent rights experts, 23 people were killed between July 28, the day of the vote, and August 8, with most deaths resulting from gunfire. President Nicolás Maduro later acknowledged 25 deaths, attributing them to “opposition violence.”