Far-Right Unitary Platform Threatens to Reject Election Results: Five Signs
Misión Verdad, Orinoco Tribune, July 24, 2024 —
The last few weeks have been marked by a series of statements and actions coming from the extremist sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, led by María Corina Machado and the Unitary Platform (PUD). These demonstrations point to a dangerous scenario that we have been making warnings about: the early rejection of the election results and accusations of fraud, even before the votes are counted.
There are five warning signs that have been carefully analyzed displaying the intention of the opposition preparing to reject the results and delegitimize the electoral process, scheduled by the National Electoral Council (CNE) for July 28.
1. Refusal to sign the CNE’s Agreement of Recognition of Results
This pact—which sought to guarantee stability and respect for the electoral process and was supported by the Venezuelan government as a commitment to democracy and peace—was proposed by the CNE at the beginning of the electoral process. President Nicolás Maduro, when signing the agreement, said that the signing process was “an old-fashioned and reliable agreement” and that violence following the election results will not be allowed, that this agreement is based in respect for the electoral referee.
PUD candidate Edmundo González Urrutia refused to sign, arguing that the agreement “is an indication of the bias that characterizes this unequal campaign.” This position is based in the most radical wing of the opposition that is represented by María Corina Machado, who has shown reluctance to any type of dialogue or political conciliation. The refusal to sign the Agreement of Recognition of Results reveals the intention of this opposition sector to resort to accusations of fraud as a mechanism to destabilize the country, following a pattern already observed in previous elections, such as those of 2014 and 2017.
2. Manipulation of electoral polls
Through its spokespeople and affiliated media, the opposition has been disseminating polls that claim Edmundo González will the win the elections, attempting to obscure the real chances of victory of Chavismo. However, a more in-depth analysis of these polls reveals a series of inconsistencies that call their veracity into question and show their true intention to hide the reality of the Venezuelan electorate.
Francisco Rodríguez, an economist and opposition advisor, has acknowledged that the polls are overestimating the opposition’s vote, suggesting they are deliberately manipulating of the data to create a favorable perception for their candidate.
Furthermore, it is important to note that while private and foreign media have promoted the dissemination of these manipulated surveys, they have dismissed other polls, such as those by Hinterlaces, ICS, Dataviva, and Ideadatos, which project President Maduro as the most likely winner.
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3. Statement by Biagio Pilieri, spokesperson for the PUD
The PUD announced that they will only recognize the voting minutes that are prepared on election day by opposition witnesses, which represents a clear violation of electoral regulations and an affront to the CNE, which has the exclusive authority to issue official records. By attempting to establish its own counting system, the PUD seeks to manipulate the results in its favor and delegitimize the electoral process.
“We will have the voting minutes of 30,026 tables and over 15,000 voting centers across over 1,100 parishes,” the statement reads. “We will respect what those minutes say in a process that has to be free, democratic, and transparent that day. What our minutes say, which is the will of the people of Venezuela, we will of course respect.”
Jorge Rodríguez, general coordinator of Nicolás Maduro’s Nuestra Venezuela Campaign Staff, condemned this serious misconduct by the opposition, stating that “the CNE must take action on the matter because this violates the law for electoral processes.”
4. Creation of computing center in Miami, US, to declare fraud from
Rodríguez publicly condemned the fact that this center—set up by a relative of Magalli Meda, strategic planning manager of the far-right party Vente Venezuela—aims to issue statements of fraud on the day of the presidential elections, scheduled for July 28.
This reveals a clear intention to delegitimize the sovereign Venezuelan electoral process from abroad. By establishing a center in Miami, extremist sectors seek to create a parallel discourse that contradicts the official results issued by the CNE. Rodríguez said that this center will be connected to what they call an “official broadcast,” which has no relation to the official Venezuelan electoral body.
The figure of Magalli Meda is particularly relevant in this context. She has been singled out for her involvement in conspiratorial actions, including the alleged order to carry out a “false flag” attack against the vehicles which María Corina Machado uses to travel as a part of the campaign for the PUD’s nominal candidate, Edmundo González.
5. Influence of international media
Jorge Rodríguez, in his warning about the coverage that the elections of July 28 will receive, highlighted how foreign media, starting at noon on the day of the vote, will begin to broadcast projections based on exit polls.
Mainstream media networks such as Bloomberg and Reuters are expected to present opposition figures such as María Corina Machado and Edmundo González as heroes who confront Chavismo in adverse conditions. In the electoral context, such projections have become determining factors that can alter public perception, and the political climate of the country as a result.
This is not a new strategy. A similar trend was observed in 2019 during the attempt to impose Juan Guaidó as a so-called “interim president.” The international media, with its biased and tendentious approach, gave wide coverage to Guaidó’s movement, and attempted to provide false validation to a process that did not have the support of the majority of the Venezuelan population.
The major international news agencies, together with their franchises spread throughout the hemisphere, weave a narrative that presents Edmundo González’s victory as an inescapable fact that delegitimizes any other result a priori, labeling the outcome of the election as fraudulent if it turns out to be anything different, which puts the nation’s peace and stability at serious risk.
On Sunday, July 28, respect for the country’s sovereign institutions and the electoral referee must prevail. The state must guarantee peace and stability, and the Venezuelan people must be able to express their will freely, without pressure or manipulation by media or external actors. National sovereignty cannot be negotiated or put at risk by foreign agendas.