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Related: About this forumExposing the Venezuelan Right-Wing’s Attempts to Discredit April’s Presidential Election
Exposing the Venezuelan Right-Wings Attempts to Discredit Aprils Presidential ElectionBy LEE BROWN - VSC UK, March 25th 2013
With less than one month to go until Venezuelas Presidential election on 14 April, following the sad death of Hugo Chávez, prominent figures in Washington and in the Venezuelan right-wing coalition appear to have begun a campaign to discredit the election process and, with it, the near certain victory of Nicolas Maduro. Polls already show commanding leads (LINK) for Maduro.
US Assistant Secretary of State, Roberta Jackson, claimed earlier this week that it would be difficult to have open, fair and transparent elections in Venezuela. This despite all the evidence to the contrary including former US president and Nobel Peace prize winner Jimmy Carter calling Venezuelas election process the best in the world last September.
This smear campaign has been taken up within Venezuela itself, where sections of Venezuelas right-wing coalition, known as the M.U.D, are working to undermine the legitimacy of the Venezuelan electoral process, perhaps with the intention of not recognising the results if, as the polls suggest, the right-wing opposition once again loses a presidential election.
For example, the major opposition aligned newspaper El Nacional claimed in an editorial this week that Venezuelas independent National Electoral Council (CNE) is a permanent obstacle to free and fair elections in Venezuela. It even implied that voting is no longer a way of achieving change there.
Opposition politicians have also sought to discredit the CNE. Presidential candidate Henrique Capriles launched a high profile attack on its independence in the speech announcing his candidacy.
But perhaps the most explicit expression so far of the right-wings campaign strategy to discredit the National Electoral Council, and thus the wider electoral process and result, came in the open letter by Diego Arria published in the Huffington Post on 19 March (see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diego-arria/an-open-letter-to-henriqu_b_2886218.html )
Diego Arria himself was a candidate in the oppositions Presidential primaries held last year that chose Henrique Capriles as the right-wing coalitions candidate. He is a high profile member of the Venezuelan right-wing opposition and a regular contributor in the international media about Venezuela. He is also a strong supporter of Henrique Capriles candidacy for the forthcoming Presidential election, saying in the Huffington Post article Count on me for whatever you might think necessary in the coming days.
In his open letter he repeats most of the false arguments and the distortions being made about Venezuelas electoral process from sections of the right-wing opposition who seem set on undermining the results. For that reason it is worth looking in depth at Arrias false claims and setting the record straight about Venezuelas constitutional and electoral process.
In his letter to Henrique Capriles, Diego Arria welcomes Capriles own recent attack on the CNE saying:
"you expressed the plain truth: the Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) formally known as the National Electoral Council, but [which is] in reality the regimes ministry of elections"
This underlines how a coordinated campaign has begun to discredit Venezuelas National Electoral Council (CNE) in order to bring into disrepute the electoral process and the likely victory of Nicolas Maduro.
Yet just one year ago Venezuelas right-wing opposition coalition, the M.U.D, asked the CNE to oversee its own internal selection to choose its presidential candidate (the one Arria himself stood in). The M.U.D Executive Secretary described the CNEs role in this selection as an excellent indication of the democratic institutions in the country. (LINK)
It is clearly absurd to suggest that the CNE was excellent just over one year ago but is now controlled by the regime. In reality what has changed is not the probity of the CNE, but the oppositions realisation that that they are set to lose another election.
Arria adds to his attack on the CNE by saying:
"Youll be aware that I have long considered the CNE to be no more than a tool of the regime to maintain its power."
Here Arria is bringing into question the probity of the previous elections, despite these being declared free and fair by a range of international organisations. Of course the CNE has overseen numerous elections where the results have been accepted by the Venezuela right-wing coalition. This includes those that elected Henrique Capriles as Governor of Miranda State and others that saw hundreds of opposition supporters elected to the National Assembly and to regional legislatures and local councils. Does he think all the right-wing representatives with elected office are invalid? Of course not. It appears it is only the elections that the opposition loses that are unfair.
Arria then recommends a course of action that would bring into question Venezuelas electronic voting system, and thus the whole electoral process, by seeking to portray it as open to abuse. He says:
"The elimination of the voting machines that capture voters fingerprints is thus [a] crucial and non-negotiable demand, and cannot be postponed because they are a further source of voter intimidation."
The claim of voter intimidation is absurd and collapses in the face of the facts. At the previous Presidential election held last October there was a record turnout of over 80%. Moreover the number of voters in the Presidential elections rose from 7m to 15m under Chavezs time in office. People have been more likely to vote in recent years, not less.
Regarding the system itself, in August 2012, Jennifer McCoy, director at the prestigious Carter Centre, described Venezuelas electronic voting system as the most comprehensive that, electronically speaking, Ive seen in the world. (LINK)
The ridiculous allegation that the voting system intimidates voters was even refuted by Henrique Capriles campaign team itself during the Octobers presidential election. On election day a tweet from the Capriles campaign manager, and prominent opposition politician, Leopold Lopez said that the vote is secret (El voto es secreto).
Previously, in September 2012, the Executive Secretary of the right-wing opposition M.U.D coalition also acknowledged that voting in Venezuela is secret and secure. (LINK)
Arria also advocates withdrawing from the CNEs inclusive procedure whereby all parties are represented within it, instead advising:
"I believe it essential for you to remove the representatives of the M.U.D in the CNE. New representatives must be appointed, including technical staff from the Esdata and Asociación Civil Súmate NGOs, completely independent entities whose participation is indispensable if were to have a high turnout at the election."
Of course the very fact that the members of the M.U.D sit within the CNE undermines Arrias own claims of partiality and that it is a tool of the regime. Sabotaging this inclusive process would seemingly be in order to discredit the CNE for political purposes and to step up the smear campaign against it.
Moreover, Arria recommends that Sumate should replace the representatives of the M.U.D within the CNE. Sumate is a campaigning organisation that has received money from the National Endowment for Democracy, an agency funded overwhelmingly by the U.S. State Department. Until 2012 Sumate was led by María Corina Machado, now a Venezuelan MP, but who infamously signed the Carmona Decree during the 2002 coup attempt. This was the document that imposed an unelected President, dissolved the National Assembly and the Supreme Court and also suspending the Attorney General, Comptroller General, governors and mayors elected during Chávezs administration.
As Head of Sumate, Machado had met Bush in the White House shortly before the coup. Following it she continued to receive funding from Washington and met President George W. Bush again at the Oval Office in May 2005. As a result The New York Times reported in 2005: Ms. Machado does not hide her close relations with Washington , which has provided financial aid to Sumate, the anti-Chávez, election-monitoring organization she helps run. In May, she infuriated the government when she met with President Bush at the White House, and she further antagonized officials in September by announcing that Sumate had received a fresh infusion of $107,000 from Washington . (Juan Forero, Venezuela s best-loved, or maybe most-hated, citizen, New York Times, November 19, 2005).
As well as attacking the CNE, another theme of the letter is that the current electoral process for electing Venezuelas next President is somehow unconstitutional. Firstly he claims that saying the timing is rigged in favour of Nicolas Maduro writing:
"The timing of the election, determined by the corrupt inheritors of Hugo Chavez, will yield enormous challenges"
Yet the Venezuelan Constitution (Article 233) clearly states: When the President of the Republic becomes permanently unavailable .a new election by universal suffrage and direct ballot shall be held within 30 consecutive days
Arria also targets Nicolas Maduro himself claiming he should not be acting President:
"Its clear both to the people of Venezuela and the world that Maduro is a usurper in his current position. His designation was spurious and hes illegally occupying a position that should rightfully be that of the President of the National Assembly."
Again the key article of the constitution is Article 233 which could not be clearer. It states: When the President of the Republic becomes permanently unavailable to serve during the first four years of this constitutional term pending election and inauguration of the new President, the Executive Vice-President shall take charge of the Presidency of the Republic.
It is therefore totally clear that, as Nicolas Maduro was Venezuelas vice-President, he is now legitimately the countrys acting president. Arrias misinterpretation of the Constitution appears designed to bring the whole of Venezuelas electoral probity into question.
Arria also makes the outrageous claim that:
"Its obvious, therefore, that you [Henrique Capriles] are participating in an election against an opponent that has illegally seized no less a position than that of acting President of the Republic."
The allegation here is that a coup has been waged. This line of argument is also the basis of a recent petition for the army to intervene into Venezuelan politics, which Arria as well as María Corina Machado appear to have signed. Whilst Hugo Chávez was in Cuba receiving treatment for cancer, the petition asked the Venezuelan Armed Forces to restore the Constitution and that our Armed Forces take charge. (See the petition here: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/manifiesto-a-la-sociedad-democr%C3%A1tica-venezolana-y-a-su.html)
Arrias confusion about what a coup is in Venezuela goes back a decade. In 2010, I personally asked him, at a meeting in the UK parliament, about the military coup in Venezuela in 2002 that ousted Hugo Chávez for several days. Arria replied (LINK) saying it was not a coup Chavez resigned. Diego Arria admitted that the military forced him to resign but again restated legally it was not a coup. You can even see his own tweet (LINK) on the meeting admitting as much here.
Concluding the letter Arria writes that Venezuela is
"a Republic that is dying in the hands of the most corrupt, incompetent and abusive regime in the nations history. Your candidacy is not only yours but that of all Venezuelans who want to rescue the country. Im one of them and you can count on me. Im convinced that Venezuela will either be saved in its entirety or not at all."
Arria cannot be taken seriously when describing the Chavez government as the most corrupt, incompetent and abusive regime in the nations history. He appears to have deliberately forgotten about the human rights abuses that occurred under the Venezuelan President that he himself was appointed by. Arria was Venezuelas Representative to the UN from 1991-1993 under President Carlos Andres Perez. In 1993, Perez became the first Venezuelan president to be forced out of the office by the Supreme Court for the embezzlement of 250 million bolívars. Moreover, in 1989, Perez oversaw the Caracazo massacre of 3,000 people protesting against free market reforms, the bloodiest massacre in Venezuelan history.
These crimes reveal the real choice at the presidential election on April 14: a continuation of the social progress unleashed over the past decade by Hugo Chávez or a return to the policies of the past where economic disaster and social exclusion were matched by, at best, an ambiguous attitude to democracy and where political violence was all too common
What appears clear is that Nicolas Maduro will win the Presidency on 14 April. Less clear is whether of not the M.U.D coalition will accept the will of the Venezuelan people.
--
Lee Brown is a member of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign Executive and a researcher on Latin America and its socialism of the 21st Century
Source: Venezuela Solidarity Campaign UK
This work is licensed under a Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives Creative Commons license.
http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/8365
(LINKS at this site.)
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The Venezuelan rightwing opposition is up to its old tricks again--using the trumpet of the Corporate Media, there and here, as usual, to hammer its absurd, Alice in Wonderland-ish "talking points" into peoples' head. They have used this ploy before--that the elections are somehow unfair--in spite of overwhelming evidence that Venezuela has--as Jimmy Carter recently said--"the best election system in the world." They used it in a destabilization and coup plot (utilizing false polls) in Chavez's second election victory. And now they are trying again to cast aspersions on Venezuelan voters (as if Venezuelan voters would put up with rigging) and on Venezuela's election system ("the best in the world" because it suits them. They are going to lose, so they tell these outrageous lies.
Anyway, I hope that that's all they are up to (casting aspersions, telling lies). There could well be a destabilization and coup plot behind this "Big Lie" campaign about the election system. It is very worrisome to see it echoed by all the RW posters here at DU. That may be alerting us that something is afoot.
idwiyo
(5,113 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,450 posts)Lies, greed, hatred, total lack of conscience, criminality are all these right-wingers have. That's the whole kit of skills. Beyond that, the void. Everyone knows what they are. Their reputation is obviously going to catch up with them before they can lie their way out of it, or seize enough military power to suppress the poor majority again.
[center]
Diego Arria
Diego Arria's own beloved President, massacre-loving,
class war-waging, impeached, dead, Carlos Andres Perez,
and his collegue from the U.S., George H. W. Bushie.[/center]
Peace Patriot
(24,010 posts)Pix = 1,000 words.
joshcryer
(62,269 posts)The misreading about Venezuela's constitution is uninspiring nonsense and has been debunked repeatedly on this forum.
The opposition was accused of not recognizing the results last time: http://www.democraticunderground.com/11085261
But we forget so easily.
Peace Patriot
(24,010 posts)"uninspiring nonsense"?
The article QUOTES the Venezuelan Constitution. The words are very specific and plain. No misreading.
"has been debunked repeatedly on this forum."
RW "debunking" is like the Red Queen's statements in Alice in Wonderland. Imperious (not to mention dangerous) jabberwocky.
joshcryer
(62,269 posts)And the quote of the Venezuelan constitution is highly selective, other paragraphs are unambiguous and state clearly what needs to be done in the event the President cannot make it to their inaguration.
naaman fletcher
(7,362 posts)literally, One guy has said something and somehow the entire right wing is now engaged in an attempt to discredit the election?
COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)It is truly a vast, right wing conspiracy composed not only of Capriles and Arria aided by the CIA, Mossad and the KGB but also the Illuminati, the Bilderberg Group, the Masons, the Rosicrucians and some other shadowy groups too terrible to mention. Sound the alarm!! Democracy in Venezuela is in peril!!!! etc. etc. etc...
naaman fletcher
(7,362 posts)The vast conspiracy that kicked off the guy who was posting in this forum the other night.
COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)Peace Patriot
(24,010 posts)...to destabilize countries and mount coup de etats?
You a Martian, or what?
LOL!
ocpagu
(1,954 posts)... he believes in the official press releases of the US Department of State. "We are there to bring democracy", "they hate us for our freedoms", "terrorism is a way of life" and all this bullshit.
Unbelievable isn't it?
COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)ocpagu
(1,954 posts)...
Ok.
COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)engaged in coups and destabilization in Latin America as of today's date.
ocpagu
(1,954 posts)Just for a start
Exclusive: CIA Drug Money Plot to Overthrow Ecuador's President Correa - 02-02-2013
http://wlcentral.org/node/2811
COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)who 'says'. Not what you'd call proof, at least not as far as I'm concerned.
ocpagu
(1,954 posts)Those are "solid proof" enough to you.
You're a devoted blind-faithful follower of your country's extremist right-wing foreign policy for Latin America. I won't even lose my time.
COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)ocpagu
(1,954 posts)As a non-native speaker, I really appreciate your correction.
Judi Lynn
(160,450 posts)Have read repeatedly Pinera was a Pinochet supporter, but this is truly creepy, isn't it?
This is a good article for any sane person to read. It is unusual for imformation concerning contemporary dirtiness to get revealed publicly, or it used to be. As you know, we lived for decades while records about this kind of activity were kept classified, and were almost impossible to get declassified.
Being able to learn about things so much closer to the present is a big step forward.
Not one bit surprised they have done this to Correa. They had to start working against him well before he was elected, just as they did Evo Morales. Correa was campaigning on his promise he would be closing the U.S. facilities at the Manta Air Base, which the local people had been wanting to leave for years and years, already.
They voted him into office, WANTING the U.S. out. Too bad the U.S. isn't going to respect their wishes.
Thank you.
Peace Patriot
(24,010 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,450 posts)of the moment, as it happens.
When the topic in the right-wing "news" media in Venezuela rotates back to violence, they drag that out and chew wildly on that for a while, then move on to the next lie in rotation. Keeps things seeming fresh. if you stay so drunk you've forgotten your name and where you parked your car!
If you are slow witted you probably believe each time a big lie comes up again, it's brand new, and it's true! So sad, isn't it?
They used to do that with Cuba before they turned their ulcerous view upon Venezuela.
As you recall, Venezuela has felt the same way about the U.S. since before Richard M. Nixon graced them all with a little Vice-Presidential triumphal visit in 1958:
[center]
[/center]
Peace Patriot
(24,010 posts)...all the seminal events in Latin American/Rightwing-U.S. history including VERY RECENT events...
U.S. supported RW coup attempt in Venezuela, 2002.
Several more attempts in Venezuela, including boycotting an election, a destabilization plot involving false polls, an oil bosses' lockout and more.
U.S. supported RW coup attempt in Bolivia, 2008 (funded/organized right out of the U.S. embassy).
U.S. supported successful RW coup in Honduras, 2009.
Successful RW coup in Paraguay, last year (U.S. collusion not clear, but coupsters invited U.S. military into Paraguay, which had been opposed by the ousted president).
And that's just mentioning major recent events. There are many other recent incidents of "dirty tricks," non-stop RW/Corporate/U.S. propaganda and other efforts against democratically elected Leftist governments--and, of course, a half a century of U.S.-supported coup d'etats and brutal fascist dictatorships.
In the RW's Alice in Wonderland world, none of this happened, and it's tinfoil to think that it might happen again and to be on the alert for its signs--of which this current "talking point"--that there is something wrong with Venezuela's election system (which is "the best in the world," according to Jimmy Carter and the Carter Center)--and the repetitiveness of this "talking point" is definitely a suspicious and worrisome sign of a destabilization plot. They tried it before in Venezuela! Same plot beginnings!