Letter in response to coverage of the Venezuelan presidential elections on 14 April, in particular 'Nicolás Maduro accuses opposition of coup plot as poll protests turn deadly' by Virginia Lopez 16 April 2013
Over recent months there has been an international media campaign sowing seeds of doubt in the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE). Evidence released by the Venezuelan government includes an email sent from Amando Briquet, of Capriles’ campaign team, to Guillermo Salas, of the organisation 'Esdata' which reports on Venezuela’s electoral process, stating 'we need everything set out in Washington for checking over by the [Capriles campaign]. It's necessary that all documentation is presented internationally if we decide to take the road of not recognizing the results.'
Nicolas Maduro won Sunday's elections by a margin of 1.8%, 262,000 votes. Capriles, the opposition presidential candidate, himself only won the governorship of Miranda in December last year by 40,000 votes, both sides accepted the results and the transparency of the CNE. Chávez lost the constitutional reform referendum in 2007 by a narrower margin, 1.4% and accepted the result. With a turnout of just under 79%, The results mean 40% of the Venezuelan electorate voted for Maduro, more than Thatcher in 1979 (33%), Blair in 1997 (31%), Cameron in 2010 (23%) Obama in 2008 (30%) and Atlee in 1945 (36%) The calls of election fraud are part of pre-meditated plan to destabilize the country.
Sam McGill editor of www.vivavenezuela.co.uk