The main member of the National Electoral Council of Venezuela (CNE), Juan Carlos Delpino, denounced on Monday the irregularities in the last presidential elections and in the proclamation of Nicolás Maduro as president-elect, a process rejected by the opposition and part of the international community.
“The irregularities that occurred during the electoral process on July 28, 2024, as well as the problems before and after election day, led to a loss of confidence in the integrity of the process and in the announced results,” Delpino said in a statement, stressing that he has more than 20 years of experience in technical positions and as a member of the CNE.
On election day, he adds, the process proceeded with relatively few incidents until 17:00 local time, when voter turnout was around 60% and 65%, but “after the polling stations closed, there were clear violations of rules and regulations. …importantly, when there were reported cases of opposition witnesses being removed (…), which constituted a direct violation of the principles of fairness and the right of voters to access the protocols, jeopardizing the legitimacy of the process.”
“According to the protocols, the transmission of results should have taken place immediately after the polls closed,” but “it was interrupted and this interruption was justified by alleged piracy, which led to silence and an unexplained delay,” he adds.
“It was only at 21:00 (local time) that I was informed of the alleged piracy, which would have seriously affected the transmission of the results, reducing the effective transmission to 58%,” which “would have prevented the release of the first ballot at the appropriate time and kept the country in an unjustified wait,” he stresses.
A CNE member states that given the lack of witnesses, the failure to transmit the QR code to the data centers, and the lack of an effective solution to the alleged piracy, he decided not to go up to the summarization room or attend the meeting to announce the first bulletin.
“The fact that I, as a rector, did not go into the room to count the votes means that I have no evidence to confirm the announced results,” he emphasizes.
Regarding international observation, he states that the lack of meetings has not allowed for a discussion of the presence of those already invited, such as the European Union Election Observation Mission, and that he is categorically against the exclusion of these observers, as their presence is crucial to guarantee the transparency of the process.
On the other hand, witness accreditation was subject to delays and confusion due to both user-related and internal technical issues.
Last Thursday, Venezuela’s Chavista-controlled Supreme Court declared Nicolás Maduro the winner of the July 28 presidential election, a confirmation of victory that has been rejected by many countries, who have asked Venezuelan authorities to disclose detailed election results.
Delpino adds that he declined an invitation to attend Maduro’s proclamation ceremony because he took a position of disagreement with the lack of transparency in the process, a decision justified by his responsibility to ensure that the results reflect the will of the people.
“International experts agree that the events described do not meet national and international standards of transparency and legality,” he explains.
Delpino also expressed disagreement with the late publication of results, frame by frame as usual within 48 hours, and the failure to follow other processes impacted the chain of trust and created uncertainty.
He also states that he did not accept the Supreme Court’s (SCP) subpoena because he believed that the conflict should be resolved by the electoral body by calling in election technicians and experts to compare the protocols in his possession with those of the campaign team, verified by international observers and independently certified.
He also denounces the fact that, despite his objections, there was a disturbing absence of administration meetings, which prevented the CNE from functioning effectively, and that conditions and restrictions were imposed that limited the registration and updating of data of citizens inside and outside Venezuela.
“The automated application system (…) created problems of discontinuity and inequality in the time allocated to political organizations (…). Although I asked for a 48-hour extension to resolve these problems, my request was not discussed,” he adds.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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