Venezuelan Bishops urge transparency over electoral results

By Joseph Tulloch

Protests have broken out across Venezuela following a dispute over elections held on Sunday.

The national electoral authority declared incumbent President Nicolás Maduro the winner of the vote, giving him a third term.

Independent pollsters, however, called the result implausible, and opposition leaders and foreign observers called for transparency in the vote count.

During the protests against Maduro’s inauguration as president, at least two people died and hundreds were arrested.

Bishops ‘closely following’ events

Amid the unrest, the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference issued a statement welcoming the “massive, active and civic participation of all Venezuelans in the electoral process.” It said the scale of the turnout had “reaffirmed our commitment to democracy.”

“As shepherds of God’s people,” the statement continued, “we are closely following the unfolding of events and wish to express our solidarity and our willingness to offer pastoral support in this time of uncertainty.”

The bishops also echoed the call for electoral transparency: “We join our voices to those of all those, inside and outside Venezuela, who demand a process of verification of the results of the election, in which all the political actors involved participate actively and fully.”

“Let us remain firm in hope,” the statement urged. “Our thoughts and just demands must be formulated with the peaceful attitudes of respect and tolerance that have prevailed until now.”

Jesuits condemn “violence and political persecution”

Meanwhile, the Gumilla Center, a Jesuit center for social action and research in Venezuela, issued a statement rejecting “violence and political persecution” and urging “all citizens, organizations, armed forces and public authorities” to “adhere to the Constitution.”

“The National Electoral Council,” the Gumilla Center continues, “must transparently ensure that political parties and the entire nation have access to 100% of the electoral registers, by state, by municipality and by polling station, in order to verify and validate the election results against the declared results. Until this point is clarified, it is unfair to recognize the proclaimed winner.”

The statement also calls on the international community to continue its mediation, “to ensure that the electoral process is in accordance with the Constitution, that reasonable doubts about the results are clarified and that the truth prevails through independent audits.”