As scholars dedicated to the study of democracy and election integrity, we are deeply concerned about the implications for the future of Venezuela and about the widespread violence and repression in the aftermath of the elections (FT View, August 1). We condemn the brutal response by the security forces, resulting in numerous deaths and hundreds of arrests. We demand full transparency and accountability in counting the votes.
According to the AltaVista Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) initiative, an independent, civil society-run effort designed to produce a verifiable, scientifically accurate estimation of the national vote count, opposition candidate Edmundo González won slightly more than 66 per cent of the votes, while Nicolás Maduro managed only 31 per cent. AltaVista has been validated by internationally renowned scholars and widely reported on by the media.
The AltaVista results align with vote tallies reviewed by The Associated Press and The Washington Post, as well as findings in Edison Research’s exit poll, and are in stark contrast to the Venezuelan National Electoral Council’s official announcement, which claimed Maduro won with 51 per cent against González’s 44 per cent. This raises fundamental questions about the integrity of the electoral process and the legitimacy of the results.
Reactions from international organisations with extensive experience in election observation have been unequivocal. Both the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Carter Center have condemned the electoral process as fraudulent and failing to meet international standards of electoral integrity. UN secretary-general António Guterres called for full transparency regarding the outcome of the elections, and demanded the Maduro regime publish the results and the breakdown by polling stations, a plea shared by many other world leaders.
A majority of regional countries have condemned the lack of transparency, including Chile, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Argentina, Uruguay and Peru, while Mexico, Brazil and Colombia have released an official statement calling for the Venezuelan authorities to make publicly available all vote tallies.
Democracy in Venezuela has been under siege for far too long, and the recent elections have brought this crisis to a head. The international community must stand with the people of Venezuela, recognise González’s victory as a reflection of their true will, and do its utmost to promote a peaceful and democratic transition.
Francis Fukuyama
Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow, FSI Director, Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy
Maria Hermínia Tavares
Emerita Professor of Political Science at the University of São Paulo, Brazil
Maria Victoria Murillo
Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies and Professor of Political Science & International Affairs, Columbia University
Steven Levitsky
Professor of Government and Director of David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University
Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser
Professor at the Catholic University of Chile
Jennifer Cyr
Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Political Science, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella
Kati Marton
Author, Board Member and Former Chair of the Committee to Protect Journalists
Larry Diamond
William L Clayton Senior Fellow, The Hoover Institution
Matias Spektor
Professor of Politics and International Relations, School of International Relations at Fundação Getulio Vargas
Simon Cheng
Hong Kong activist, Former Trade and Investment Officer at the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong
