They ask for the publication of the electoral minutes and remember that the CNE is the body responsible for the electoral process, not the TSJ
The 27 member countries of the EU have called on the Venezuelan authorities to publish the “verifiable results” of the presidential elections of 28 July and have recalled that the National Electoral Council (CNE) is the body legally responsible for the electoral process, and not the Supreme Court of Justice, which ruled in an appeal by President Nicolás Maduro that he was the winner of the elections despite allegations of fraud by the opposition.
“Only independently verifiable results will be accepted and recognised to ensure that the will of the Venezuelan people is respected,” the EU countries said in a statement published by the office of the High Representative for Community Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell.
The EU thus considers that “to date the Venezuelan authorities have not provided the public evidence necessary to evaluate the electoral process in accordance with the criteria set by the UN commission of experts.”
They therefore demand that “the CNE publish and independently verify the minutes of all the polling stations” and thus reject the ruling of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) that grants victory to Maduro. “In view of the ruling of the Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela, it is worth remembering that the CNE is the body legally and constitutionally responsible for the publication of transparent and detailed electoral results,” they stressed.
EDMUNDO GONZALEZ AS WINNER
The EU also recalls that the UN commission of experts “has confirmed that the sample of minutes published by the opposition contain the security measures of the original protocols, thus confirming their reliability.”
“According to the publicly available copies of the minutes, Edmundo González Urritia appears to have won the presidential elections with a significant majority,” they stressed in the statement published from Brussels.
“The Venezuelan people must decide their own destiny. Their will must prevail. The European Union will continue to work with its regional partners to ensure that the will of the Venezuelan people expressed at the polls is respected and to facilitate a Venezuelan dialogue that provides guarantees to both parties and leads to the restoration of democracy and the resolution of the current humanitarian and socio-economic crisis,” they argued.
The EU also demands “respect for the right of all Venezuelans to demonstrate peacefully and freely express their political opinions without fear of reprisals.” “Excessive use of force must be avoided, repression and harassment of the opposition and civil society must end,” it says, while calling for the release of “all political prisoners.” “Human rights violations must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible must be held accountable,” it says.
Following the July 28 elections, the CNE declared Maduro the winner in two official bulletins with partial results. After this, Maduro filed an appeal before the TSJ to verify the results and after a lengthy process this judicial body has validated his victory despite protests from the opposition, which denounces fraud and demands that the CNE publish the official results.