According to media reports, “thousands of opposition supporters” are protesting the result of the recently concluded presidential election in Venezuela. Violence has begun to tarnish the protests. Seven persons have been killed so far.
It is partly because the victory of Nicolas Maduro was so narrow, 50.75% to 48.97% for his rival Henrique Capriles, that Maduro’s opponents have been emboldened to challenge the electoral verdict. They are now accusing Maduro and the National Electoral Council (CNE) of fraud and are demanding a full recount.
Independent observers are not convinced that there was electoral fraud. They say that there may have been irregularities here and there but that would not have altered the final outcome. This is why the CNE is insisting that the result is irreversible.
Capriles and his supporters should accept the election result. During the campaign, he had pledged to accept the verdict. He must keep his word.
It is unfortunate in this regard that Capriles’s foreign backers, especially the United States’ elite, are supporting his demand for a recount. The US elite has a vested interest in denying Maduro his legitimate victory. Since Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez, became President in 1999, the US elite had gone all out to undermine Chavez’s Bolivarian Revolution which seeks to uplift the masses and to protect the dignity of the Venezuelan people and the independence of the oil-rich nation. The US elite knows that Maduro is deeply committed to advancing Chavez’s struggle for justice at the national, regional and international level.
People everywhere who value justice and dignity should come out openly and endorse Maduro’s victory. They should not allow those who do not care for Venezuela’s independence and integrity to repudiate the people’s will.
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar,
President,
International Movement for a Just World (JUST).
Malaysia.
18 April 2013.