Elections in Venezuela: the call to vote marks the …

From Caracas

To have reached this day of legislative elections is in itself a victory. This is what many say in Caracas, where, as is still customary, the election day began early, almost at dawn, with, in several regions, the contact of Diana and the deployment of political structures. .

The message most repeated during the day, both by Chavism and by the opposition which presents itself, has been the call for a vote, whatever the political orientation., in a system where voting is not compulsory, and calls for abstention have been constant, both nationally and internationally.

This election, as well as that of May 2018, when Nicolás Maduro was re-elected president, faced a media and political protest aimed at curbing participation. Statements from spokespersons for the US government, Latin American countries, the European Union, the covers of major media newspapers, as well as the social media work in Venezuela were some of the ways to install a message: do not vote.

It is not yet possible to say what the effect of the campaign was. The percentage of participation is, in fact, one of the main subjects of debate and analysis, in an election which involves more than the legislative power, but the pillar on which the “interim government” of the Republic has been. premiered in January 2019. Juan Guaidó, which today, more than ever, testifies to its current fictitious character and even more to come.

“The diplomacy of the European Union is based on the peaceful resolution of conflicts, on respect for procedures, and I want the European Union to reflect after these elections, to assess what the policy of sanctions or the policy of non-recognition has given of itself, which can lead us to the greatest absurdity that the history of international law has known ”, said former Spanish president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, one of the actors who participated in various attempts at dialogue, and arrived in Caracas for parliamentarians.

Indeed, the European Union, as well as those who still recognize Guaidó, are at a crossroads: recognizing an interim president without a National Assembly – which was the basis of the fiction – and not recognizing the current president Maduro or new. legislative power that will take office on January 5 following the vote on Sunday.

This is why this election has a determining weight in the evolution of the conflict from January. For this too, to have succeeded in carrying out the competition and that it takes place in peace, is in itself a victory: This means having dodged a succession of diplomatic, media, secret and economic operations throughout the year, many of which were directly aimed at the opposition which decided to stand.

The result will make it possible to obtain a photograph of the correlation of political forces, of the construction of meaning, in a mapping difficult to achieve with precision, due to the vast and heterogeneous nature of the country, and the disparity that exists between Caracas and the interior areas, hit with more violence due to the economic situation for years, but in turn with, for example, in the areas of the plains, a strong Chavist political identity and a consequent rejection of the opposition.

The election also has a great continental implication, which was reflected in the arrival in Caracas of Evo Morales, Andrónico Rodríguez, Rafael Correa, Fernando Lugo and Piedad Córdoba., who showed their support for the electoral process and the Venezuelan government.

“These elections will strengthen democracy in Latin America, the elections are taking place in Ecuador, the constituent in Chile, the peoples are undergoing profound transformations, so I have no doubt that in a short time the times of Chávez, Lula and Kirchner, of Fidel , this is our fight, ”said Morales who, like more than 300 observers, visited various polling centers during the day.

The results, Sunday evening, are expected with great hope. Each political sector has a lot at stake. The development of the incident-free day, the deployment of a biosecurity device, the ability to vote for dozens of parties, is in itself a victory for democracy in Venezuela.