On the evening of Tuesday 30 July, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stressed that the Venezuelan authorities must guarantee the transparency and integrity of the electoral process “by independently verifying the official voting records of polling stations” (see EUROPE 13464/13).
“The European Union urges the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela to provide immediate access to the voting records of all polling stations. Until voting records are made public and are verified, the election results as already declared cannot be recognised”, he warned.
Recalling that the CNE had only presented the results corresponding to 80% of the vote count, without providing any source or system that would allow for their verification”, and that with this “partial and unverifiable” result it had declared Nicolás Maduro the winner of the election, Mr Borrell reiterated that “in a democracy, election results must be complete and independently verifiable in order to be recognised”. Furthermore, the data that the opposition has made available to the public offers a radically different result from the one announced by the CNE, he added.
The High Representative also reiterated the importance of peaceful demonstrations and protests, adding: “The security forces must ensure full respect for human rights, in particular the right to protest and the right to freedom of assembly”. On Wednesday, the High Representative, on X, also called on the Venezuelan authorities to put an end to arrests, repression and violent rhetoric against members of the opposition. “The threats against Edmundo González and María Corina Machado are unacceptable”, he warned, again calling on the authorities and law enforcement agencies to guarantee respect for human rights. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)