Venezuelanalysis: CNE, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, Turns Over Electoral Data to Supreme Court, US Walks Back González Recognition US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the Biden admin had not recognized González as president, a departure from the position by Secretary of State Blinken who declared González won the election. CNE delivered the electoral evidence requested by the country’s Supreme Court of Justice, including detailed voting records and totals. The CNE declared Maduro the winner of the election with 51.95% (6.4 million votes) compared to 43.18% (5.3 million votes) for US-backed opposition candidate Edmundo González. González and Machado issued a statement declaring the former as “president-elect” and calling on the police and armed forces to follow his orders. In response, Attorney General Tarek Saab said his office opened a criminal investigation into both for charges including usurpation of official functions and instigation of insurrection. Only the CNE is constitutionally authorized to declare a winner in electoral contests.
TeleSur:Venezuelan Far-Right Opposition Does Not Deliver Electoral Records to Supreme Court The right wing opposition refuses to present their “evidence” of July 28 election fraud when the Supreme Court summoned all presidential candidates to present the electoral records in their possession. All the other candidates (9) appeared and all did not dispute the election vote. This request responds to the action by President Maduro, who asked the Supreme Court for an investigation of the presidential elections to clear any accusations of fraud. Judge Rodriguez formally recorded that the far-right politician Gonzalez did not attend the judicial hearing, thus disobeying an explicit mandate from the Supreme Court.
Cuba’s Granma: A global call for solidarity with Venezuela A Global Campaign for Democracy and Sovereignty: USA out of Venezuela, was launched yesterday by ALBA Movimientos, the International Peoples’ Assembly, the Simon Bolivar Institute and the Caribbean Peoples’ Assembly. This action also serves as a “global call for solidarity to defend the Venezuelan people from the stalking of U.S. imperialism, which once again attempts to destabilize democracy and popular sovereignty in Venezuela through its attacks and operations.” In this way, they called for “disarming the fake news and falsehoods that have been installed as consensus, (…) for the communicational battle of ideas on Venezuela, from the alleged technical-electoral elements that have been used as a decoy to deceive even progressive sectors.”
Vijay Prashad on the Venezuela election turmoil: Venezuela Is a Marvelous Country in Motion Venezuela’s opposition yet again cries fraud in the 28 July presidential but fails to provide evidence. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Chavistas, their frustrations grounded in the understanding that the US-hybrid war is the root of the crisis, take to the streets and chant no volverán: they [the oligarchy] will not return. I talked to a high-level advisor to the opposition, who asked to remain anonymous, about the results. He said that, though he sympathised with the opposition’s frustration, he felt that the final result seemed about right. ‘It is hard to beat the Chavistas because they have both the programme of Chávez and the ability to mobilise their supporters to the ballot box’, he said. During the massive marches to defend the government in the week following the elections, people openly described the two choices that faced them: to try and advance the Bolivarian process through Maduro’s government or to return to February 1989 when Carlos Andrés Pérez imposed the IMF-crafted economic agenda known as the paquetazo (packet) on the country.
Maria Paez Victor: Venezuela: An Attempted Coup By Any Other Name Venezuela has again been victim of a combined media and diplomatic coup attempt, but this time with the added element of organized crime and a cyber-attack. The presence of more than 635 international witnesses, including electoral experts of the United Nations, the African Union, and electoral staff of 65 countries. How many international witnesses are allowed for the USA or Canadian elections? None.
There is a great difference today from the street violence of 2015 y 2017, “guarimbas” images of which were flashed around the world to convey that Venezuela was in chaos and should be “intervened”. At that time, Venezuelans watched disgusted and astounded as the violent criminals were never arrested for assaults, arson and deaths. The then Attorney General, Luisa Ortega, gave strict orders that these street criminals were not to be arrested because they were “exercising their democratic right”. It turned out she was a mercenary traitor piling up millions of dollars the CIA gave her and is now living in great luxury in the USA where she fled when her crimes were discovered.
The far right opposition claims “fraud.” If they win, the elections are legitimate, if they lose, they are fraud. So far 1,062 arrested will go to trial. What would the USA, Canada or Europe do if bands of armed people set fires, assaulted and shot officials and members of the public, and terrorised their towns and cities? But this is another universe from the one in 2015 and 2017. Venezuela is strong and prepared. Its economy has diversified and grown, despite the sanctions. It no longer depends exclusively on the US oil market – the whole world wants its oil. Even the USA needs Venezuelan oil to keep the price of gasoline down in a presidential election year.
Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega Speech condemns US interference in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election This behavior [the pot-election violence] reflects that the plan was already very well organized, that part of the plan was a number of Latin American governments and that they were all going against the election results, and already saying that the elections had not been correct. And of course, the representative of the government that claims to be the purest and cleanest government in the world came out, the one that practices the purest and cleanest democracy, the spokesman for military and economic power, because there the Presidents do not govern anything, there those who command are the economic powers, the military powers, those who want more wars. And they came out disqualifying the elections; that is, the greatest democrat, the United States of America, is in charge.
And I would like to know about those who are now acting as judges, the rulers who are acting as judges of what has happened in Venezuela, where there was an election that President Maduro won; but well, first, who has invited them to qualify or disqualify? None of them has dared to question the fraud that they say occurred in the United States, which Trump says, or the fraud that occurred in the United States when they stole the Presidency from Al Gore to put Bush’s son in office. A terrible blockade and the Yankees have stolen from them, yes, the Yankees and the English have stolen billions of dollars from Venezuela, they have stolen them, just like that. Why? Because there we have a State, the imperialist States have gangster practices, they handle all these issues like gangsters and when they see the opportunity to steal a People’s wealth, they steal it, and nothing happens.
There is no United Nations body that condemns this, just as there is no United Nations body that says that what the Venezuelan people decided must be respected, that what the Supreme Electoral Council of Venezuela reported must be respected, and not that the United Nations also comes with the same discourse. Because the United Nations, its leadership, is nothing more than an instrument of the Imperialists of the Earth, there the Peoples are represented by the Governments, but unfortunately the Governments submit to the Imperialists of the Earth, because they are always threatening them, they threaten the Governments and then they give in.
Orinoco Tribune: President Maduro Presents Report on Human and Material Losses Caused by Far-Right Post-Electoral Violence Some of what was damaged by gangs affiliated to the far right: 12 universities including the Central University of Venezuela, seven pre-schools, 21 primary schools, 34 high schools, six comprehensive diagnostic centers, one specialty health center, 30 outpatient clinics, one pharmacy, six CLAP food storage and distribution centers, one community radio station,11 stations of the Caracas Metro, one train set on fire in Valencia, 38 buses, 27 monuments and statues, including of Simón Bolívar, and Hugo Chávez.
Orinoco Tribune: Salvadoran Ex-Combatants Reveal Edmundo González’s Role in US-Backed Massacres in El SalvadorThere is a broad campaign on mainstream media and social media to create an image of González as a “bird-loving old grandfather;” a career diplomat with a “democratic vocation” who is “fighting for democracy” against the “Maduro regime.” However, Salvadorans, especially ex-combatants of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) from the Salvadoran war era, remember him differently. During 1979-1985, Edmundo González served as the second-in-command of the Venezuelan Embassy in San Salvador, under ambassador Leopoldo Castillo. Both officials participated in the US Plan Cóndor counterinsurgency project in El Salvador, the aim being the destruction of the Salvadoran popular armed revolution. According to former FMLN Commander Nidia Díaz, during the late 70s and early 80s, the conspiracies to torture, disappear, and kill revolutionaries and their sympathizers were planned in the Venezuelan embassy in El Salvador and were directed by Leopoldo Castillo, whose closest collaborator was Edmundo González.
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Events:
August 11, 3pm ET. Nicaragua Webinar, “Celebrating 45/19: Nicaragua’s Revolution Lives On”Join us to hear a report-back from participants celebrating the 45th anniversary of Nicaragua’s July 19 triumph and ongoing Revolution.
August 12: Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition monthly zoom 2:30 PM ET. email NicaraguaSolidarityCoalition@gmail.com to request zoom access.
August 19-22 Protest at the Democratic National Convention. Join contingents against the US blockades and economic warfare on Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua Contact Stansfieldsmith100@gmail.com
August 21: End the US Blockade of Cuba. Take Cuba off the State Sponsors of Terrorism list Congressperson Barbara Lee; Carlos Lazo, others
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This is also available at ChicagoALBASolidarity.org. If you have events to publicize or find helpful articles for readers on the ALBA countries you can post them on Facebook here: Venezuela; Nicaragua; Bolivia; Latin America in general (here or here) Or send them to venezuelaweekly@afgj.org or stansfieldsmith100@gmail.com.
Chicago ALBA Solidarity 