MEP Isabel Santos, who led the European Union's election observation mission to Venezuela's local and regional elections in November 2021, presented 23 recommendations on Tuesday 22 February on how to improve the organisation of future elections so that they meet international democratic standards.
Among the improvements observed in the electoral process, Santos highlighted “the role of the National Electoral Council (CNE), generally recognised as the most pluralist and balanced of the last twenty years, the carrying out of several audits at different stages of the electoral process and a more wide ranging updating of the electoral register”. In a statement, the Portuguese Socialist cited several recommended improvements, including “the lack of legal certainty, which led to the arbitrary disqualification of candidates, the extensive use of state resources in the campaign, the unequal access of candidates to the media”.
The final report makes 23 recommendations, seven of which are priorities: 1) Strengthen the separation of powers and confidence in the independence of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ); 2) Repeal the power of the Contraloría to deprive citizens of their political rights through administrative means; 3) Increase voter confidence in the integrity of electronic voting; 4) Strengthen the sanctioning powers of the CNE, especially in cases of abuse of state resources in electoral campaigns; 5) Ensure balanced media coverage of campaigns, especially in the state media; 6) Promote freedom of expression by repealing the Anti-Hate Law; 7) Better inform citizens about their selection as members of polling stations.
The presentation of these recommendations did not take place in Venezuela due to the refusal of the Venezuelan authorities to allow a press conference to be held in Caracas.
The EU mission deployed 134 observers from 22 Member States, Norway and Switzerland to all Venezuelan states.
See the report of the election observation mission: https://aeur.eu/f/fy (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)