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In reply to the discussion: US won't accept Venezuela election result, says full recount still needed [View all]Catherina
(35,568 posts)136. National Lawyers Guild urges Obama to recognize new Maduro government
Announcement
National Lawyers Guild Monitors Conclude Venezuelan Elections Were Well-Organized, Fair and Transparent
April 16, 2013
A delegation of National Lawyers Guild (NLG) election monitors visited polling sites in five Venezuelan states on April 14 and found that the Venezuelan presidential election process was fair, transparent, participatory, and well-organized.
With over 78 percent voter turnout, Nicolas Maduro Moros was declared Venezuelas new president with a 50.66 percent share of the 99.12 percent of votes counted.
The U.S. would do well to incorporate some of the security checks and practices that are routine in Venezuela to improve both the level of participation and the credibility of our elections, said NLG attorney Robin Alexander. She added, The six polls I visited in the state of Carabobo were calm and well-organized and lines were short."
The five-member NLG delegation formed part of a larger team of over 130 people, which included former presidents of Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, electoral commission members, journalists, and representatives of human rights organizations from across the globe. Election monitors traveled to polling places throughout the country on Election Day.
The NLG delegation found the following: advanced voting procedures that prevent fraud through multiple fingerprint and voter ID certifications; accurate and efficient digital and manual vote calculation; active participation by party witnesses and national and international observers.
In addition, the NLG monitors found a reliable system in which 54 percent of all votes are randomly audited on Election Day. NLG monitors witnessed one such audit in Caracas in which the paper ballots matched perfectly with the electronic votes.
As a U.S. organization, the NLG emphasizes that the margin of victory for Nicolas Maduro, while small, is comparable to close elections in the U.S., such as the margins of victory for John F. Kennedy in 1960 and for George W. Bush in 2004.
The NLG calls upon the U.S. to honor the Venezuelan election as the nations of the world honor U.S. elections without question. Moreover, as recognized by Jimmy Carter, Venezuela's election infrastructure, with its secure electronic system backed by paper ballots, is "the best in the world," and therefore deserves at least as much respect as our own.
As NLG member and international human rights law professor Daniel Kovalik states: "In the end, it is the Venezuelans who must decide their own future and leaders and the U.S., in the interest of democracy, must honor that decision."
http://www.nlg.org/news/announcements/national-lawyers-guild-monitors-conclude-venezuelan-elections-were-well-organized
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US won't accept Venezuela election result, says full recount still needed [View all]
azurnoir
Apr 2013
OP
We just never learn, do we? I am ashamed of my President on this issue. nt
kelliekat44
Apr 2013
#150
are you in Venez now? If not, you do not know what's happening. BTW, Capriles has lots of support
wordpix
Apr 2013
#148
So you're in favor of not counting the votes? Where have I heard that before?
Tarheel_Dem
Apr 2013
#6
Might be advantageous to all concerned if you lodge your surprise with 140+ international observers
LanternWaste
Apr 2013
#106
If the elections there are so fair and clean, they shouldn't be opposed to a recount.
Common Sense Party
Apr 2013
#107
One can only imagine where you'd come down had the results been reversed. I can imagine you....
Tarheel_Dem
Apr 2013
#122
No I wouldn't...considering that the results were counted by the Venezuelan government
Ken Burch
Apr 2013
#123
I could care less who "governs" Venezuela, but this was really close based on pre-election polling.
Tarheel_Dem
Apr 2013
#125
There wasn't going to be any way to be "pro-business" and still help the poor
Ken Burch
Apr 2013
#145
Venez. gov. is bought & owned by the former dictator & his people want to stay in power
wordpix
Apr 2013
#149
And everyone who does "like the outcome" aren't at all prone to conspiracies, right?
Tarheel_Dem
Apr 2013
#7
Most excellent post, Judy. It glaringly highlights the hypocrisy of the State Department.
Comrade Grumpy
Apr 2013
#28
Everyone knows Chavez's brother was in charge of the deciding state.....
go west young man
Apr 2013
#26
our "adminstration" should do more about vote counting at home and skip venezuela nt
msongs
Apr 2013
#27
Of course they wouldn't like it! Capriles best buddies from CIA will try their best to make it worse
idwiyo
Apr 2013
#104
We'd accept the results in a heartbeat if it was a RW fascist dicator who'd gotten elected.
Zorra
Apr 2013
#52
Yes, keep recounting the votes until the candidate favored by our corporations wins.
PSPS
Apr 2013
#58
The 54% audit requires observers. They didn't have observers in 10-15% of stations.
joshcryer
Apr 2013
#72
I wonder how the US would react if say England wouldn't accept our election result?
DainBramaged
Apr 2013
#86
Still intervening in other countries' affairs on behalf of the rich and the corporations.
Ken Burch
Apr 2013
#118
Maduro to the US: "Don't recognize anything. Your recognition does not matter to us,"
Catherina
Apr 2013
#127
Me too. These last few days my admiration for him has grown by leaps and bounds
Catherina
Apr 2013
#137
It is hard to understand how Obama would ignore what the Carter Foundation has stated
Judi Lynn
Apr 2013
#147
Capriles advisor says he just wanted to cause a scandal. Capriles knew he lost. Audio
Catherina
Apr 2013
#139