Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations Page: 15 of 64
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Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations
(CNE) announced that they would conduct an audit of the remaining 46% of ballot boxes that had
not been audited on election day, while the opposition called for a complete recount and for
reviewing the electoral registry. In early June, the CNE announced that it had completed its audit
of the remaining 46% of votes and maintained that it found no evidence of fraud and that audited
votes were 99.98% accurate compared with the original registered totals. Maduro received
50.61% of the vote to 49.12% of the vote for Capriles just 223,599 votes separated the two
candidates out of almost 15 million votes.19
There were six domestic Venezuelan observer groups in the April election.20 This included the
Venezuelan Electoral Observatory (OVE), which issued an extensive report in May 2013 that,
among other issues, expressed concern over the incumbent president's advantages in the use of
public funds and resources. The OVE also made recommendations for improving future elections,
which included changing the composition of the CNE to guarantee and demonstrate neutrality
and making improvements in legal norms related to incumbency advantage and the use of public
resources, among other measures.
Venezuela does not allow official international electoral monitoring groups, but the CNE invited
several international groups to provide "accompaniment" to the electoral process. These included
delegations from the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR); the Institute for Higher
European Studies (IAEE, Instituto de Altos Estudios Europeos), a Spanish nongovernmental
organization; and the Carter Center. The UNASUR electoral mission supported the CNE's
decision to conduct a full audit, and UNASUR heads of state subsequently met on April 19 to
voice their support for Maduro's election. The IAEE report issued a critical report in June 2013
calling for the elections to be voided.22
The Carter Center issued a preliminary report on the election in July 2013, and maintained that
the close election results caused an electoral and political conflict not seen since Venezuela's
2004 recall election. The group also concluded that confidence in the electoral system diminished
in the election, with concerns about voting conditions, including inequities in access to financial
resources and the media.23 In May 2014, the Carter Center issued its final report on the 2013
election, which included recommendations to improve the process. These included: more
effective enforcement of rules regulating the use of state resources for political purposes and the
participation of public officials and civil servants in campaign activities; campaign equity with
regard to free and equal access to public and private media; curbs on the use of obligatory radio
and television broadcasts and the inauguration of public works during the election period; and
19 The CNE's results are available at http://www.cne.gob.ve/resultadopresidencial_2013/r/1/reg_000000.html.
20 For background, see Dan Hellinger, "Caracas Connect: July Report," Center for Democracy in the Americas, July 18,
2013, available at http://www.democracyinamericas.org/blog-post/caracas-connect-july-report/; and Hugo Perez
Herniiz, "Domestic and International Observation Reports on the April 14th Elections," Venezuela Blog, Washington
Office on Latin America, August 12, 2013, available at http://venezuelablog.tumblr.com/post/58055388244/domestic-
and-international-observation-reports-on-the.
21 Informe Final, Observacion Eleccioness Presidenciales, 14 de Abril de 2013, Observatorio Electoral Venezolano,
May 2013, at http://www.oevenezolano.org/images/OEV%20PRESIDENCIALES%2020 13%20INFORME.pdf.
22 Mision de Apoyo Internacional a la Observacion de las Elecciones Presidenciales in Venezuela 14 de abril 2013,
Instituto de Altos Estudios Europeos, June 2013, available at http://www.iaee.eu/material/
Informe_Final_Observacion_Electoral_Venezuela_14_abril_2013.pdf.
23 Preliminary Report, Study Mission of The Carter Center, Presidential Elections in Venezuela April 14, 2013, The
Carter Center, July 2, 2013, pp. 73-77, available at http://www.cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/news/
peace publications/election reports/venezuela-pre-election-rpt-2013.pdf.Congressional Research Service
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Sullivan, Mark P. Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations, report, October 2, 2014; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc806966/m1/15/: accessed June 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.