October 2012 Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United States
venezuela’s 2012 presidential elections On October 7, 2012, presidential elections were held in Venezuela with a historically high rate of voter turnout of over 80 percent, confirming the country’s commitment to peaceful democratic participation and the high level of political maturity of its electorate. According to the National Electoral Council (CNE), the independent branch of government that oversees elections in Venezuela, Hugo Chávez won with slightly more than 55% of popular support. The voting was carried out in the presence of witnesses from different political parties as well as 3,435 domestic observers and 245 international accompaniers who certified the process as free and fair. Venezuela’s electoral system has been widely recognized for its transparency and efficiency. Former President Jimmy Carter said at an event at the Carter Center in early October of 2012: “of the 92 elections we’ve monitored, I would say that the election process in Venezuela is the best in the world. They have a very wonderful voting system.”1 A SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS According to the CNE, President Chávez won the election with 55.25% support, having earned a total of 8,136,964 votes. Opposition candidate Henrique Capriles was 11.12 percentage points behind with 44.13% or 6,499,575 votes, a difference of over 1.6 million in favor of the incumbent. Capriles had a majority in just two of Venezuela’s 24 states (including the Capital District), while Chávez had majority support in 22 states.2 These numbers are particularly significant as an expression of the will of the Venezuelan people because the rate of voter participation was so high: 96.5% of adults in Venezuela are registered to vote, and 80.67% turned out at the polls to cast their ballots on October 7. This means that over 15 million people voted out of a total population of 27 million. Turnout was higher than in the last presidential elections in Venezuela, when 74.69% voted, and higher than in some countries where voting is mandatory.3
Venezuelans happily show off their ink-stained fingers after voting
The commitment to democracy in Venezuela has been highlighted by the trusted Chilean polling firm Latinobarómetro, which determined in its last annual survey of the region that Venezuelans were the most likely in Latin America to choose democracy as the best form of government. Popular support for democracy jumped under the Chávez administration from 60% in 1998 to 84% in 2010.4 Though elections are just one aspect of democracy, they have become a central part of political participation in the recent years, as Venezuelans have gone to the polls 17 times since 1998 to vote in national and regional elections and referenda.5 ABOUT THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM Improvements made to Venezuela’s electoral system in recent years have made it easier for citizens to trust that their votes count and their voices are heard at the ballot box. While in the past, voting was done manually and there were many instances of fraud, now, electronic voting machines are used nationwide, and the equipment is audited by electoral authorities and political party representatives before, during and after elections. Every aspect of the process is submitted to several rounds of checks, from the lists of registered voters to the software used for the machines and the data transmission system. This year’s presidential elections involved 17 different audits, and at each step, technicians from the different political parties could make observations and recommendations before signing off on the process.6
Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela - 1099 30th Street, NW - Washington, D.C. 20007 - (202) 342-2214 - venezuela-us.org
The Carter Center’s director for the Americas, Jennifer McCoy, said in an interview with Panorama: “Electronically it is the most comprehensive thing I have seen in the world, because all the steps are automated… There are many mechanisms of control, of security in the system, but the most important thing is that it can be verified and audited. The CNE works with political parties so that they can participate in the audits, the transparency is what instills confidence.”7 Not only is Venezuela’s voting system more trustworthy than ever, it is also easier to access. The CNE increased the number of voting centers available throughout the country from 8,278 in 2000 to over 14,025 in 2011.8 New voting centers were opened up to serve previously marginalized populations in poor urban neighborhoods or remote rural areas, and this helped improve access among Afro-Venezuelans, indigenous peoples, farmers, and other communities. Special voting machines were also made available for the handicapped.9 This is part of the government’s broader policy of promoting inclusion. IMPRESSIONS FROM THE U.S. Not only are Venezuelan elections “the best in the world,” as Jimmy Carter suggested, they are also among the most heavily scrutinized, and this provides additional checks on the democratic nature of the system. In addition to the over 3,000 Venezuelan electoral observers that were present on October 7, several U.S. delegations also witnessed the elections in Venezuela as “international accompaniers,” which is the term the CNE uses to describe official guests from abroad. The accompaniers learned about how Venezuela’s voting system works, including the technical aspects of the voting machines and audits, and were encouraged to travel freely throughout the country and talk to voters, politicians, party officials, and others in order to form opinions about the process and make recommendations. Representatives from the National Lawyers Guild offered these impressions: “At each of the polling stations we visited, there were observers present representing both the Capriles and the Chávez camps. The observers expressed satisfaction with the integrity and transparency of the process, regardless of their political affiliation… What struck us most was the national commitment to democracy as showcased by the very level of financial and popular investment in the entire system.”10
The Reverend Jesse Jackson, whose organization Rainbow Push also witnessed the elections, wrote in a press release: “An 80% voter turnout demonstrated the confidence the voters have in their political process. Hon. Tibisay Lucena, President of the Venezuela National [Electoral] Council should be congratulated for running a fair and transparent election, as recognized by international observers and Venezuela’s political parties... The Venezuelan people voted in peace, and demonstrated their determination to continue their support of [the Chávez] administration’s policy on fighting poverty and other issues vital to the national interest of the country.”11 James Early, a board member of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC said: “Representatives of both candidates… in every instance have said that the process and procedures for voting are transparent and give them the utmost confidence that their choice for president will be cast with understanding, ease, and without fear of fraud. I have witnessed a most enthusiastic electorate for both candidates line up at several polling stations, young, old, of all races, some in wheel chairs, some with oxygen tanks, cheerfully entering polling stations, alertly, carefully executing voting procedures.” Danny Glover, who represented TransAfrica Forum as an accompanier during the elections, also shared his views, saying: “Congratulations to the people of Venezuela. Job well done. Both sides worked hard. Any electoral process that creates so much transparency, so much engagement, is important for the Venezuelan people first. That means simply that they have faith that their vote, their voice, means something.”12 DEMOCRACY UPHELD Testament to the trustworthiness of Venezuela’s electoral system is the fact that the results of the voting on October 7 were immediately accepted by all sides. Soon after the CNE made its announcement indicating a definitive victory by Chávez, Capriles calmly conceded defeat in a speech. Meanwhile, President Chávez announced his desire to work with all Venezuelans, including the opposition, for the betterment of the country. The outcome of the elections, once again, reflects the will of the majority of Venezuelans and shows the country’s growing democratic maturity.
Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela - 1099 30th Street, NW - Washington, D.C. 20007 - (202) 342-2214 - venezuela-us.org
A breakdown of the results with 98% of votes counted. States won by Chávez shown in red and states won by Capriles in blue. SOURCES: 1. “Carter praises Venezuela’s e-voting technology,” Smartmatic Group, October 4, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Dmt2_QioI& list=UUOpwE3m2KUdiFKSTSrmIC5g&index=2&feature=plcp 2. Consejo Nacional Electoral, 2012. http://www.cne.gob.ve/resultado_presidencial_2012/r/1/reg_000000.html 3. See data on voter turnout from International Idea: http://www.idea.int/vt/ 4. “Informe Latinobarometro 2011,” Latinobarómetro, October 28, 2011. http://www.latinobarometro.org/latino/LATContenidos.jsp 5. “Factbox: Hugo Chávez’s Record in Venezuelan Elections,” Reuters, October 7, 2012. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/08/us-venezuela-election-ballots-idUSBRE89702320121008 6. “National Electoral Council Conducts 17 Audits Ahead of Elections, YVKE Mundial, July 2, 2012. http://venezuela-us.org/2012/07/02/ national-electoral-council-conducted-17-audits-ahead-of-elections/ 7. “Carter Center: Venezuelan Electoral System among the Most Trusted in the World,” Panorama, August 13, 2012. http://venezuela-us. org/2012/08/13/carter-center-venezuelan-electoral-system-among-the-most-trusted-in-the-world/ 8. “The Electoral Branch of Government,” Tibisay Lucena, Presentation in Washington, DC, October 2011. http://venezuela-us.org/es/wpcontent/uploads/2012/05/Ven-Electoral-Branch-by-Tibisay-Lucena.pdf 9. “CNE habilitará mesas de votación en planta baja para votantes con discapacidad,” El Informador, Sept. 30, 2011. http://www.elinformador.com.ve/noticias/venezuela/poder-electoral/habilitara-mesas-votacion-planta-baja-para-votantes-discapacidad/45647 10. “A Fully Transparent System: Investing in Democracy in Venezuela,” Susan Scott and Azadeh Shahshahani, National Lawyers Guild, October 11, 2012. http://www.nlginternational.org/news/article.php?nid=495 11. “Press Release: Venezuelan Elections,” Jesse Jackson, Rainbow Push Coalition, October 8, 2012. http://rainbowpush.org/news/single/ venezuelan_elections 12. “En fotos y video: Lo que dijo Danny Glover del proceso electoral venezolano,” Noticias 24, October 7, 2012. http://www.noticias24.com/ venezuela/noticia/130063/lo-que-dijo-el-actor-danny-glover-del-proceso-electoral-venezolano-fotos/
For more information, visit our website at venezuela-us.org or write to us at
[email protected] Follow Us: Twitter.com/VzlaEmbassyUS Like Us: Facebook.com/VzlaEmbassyUS Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela - 1099 30th Street, NW - Washington, D.C. 20007 - (202) 342-2214 - venezuela-us.org
