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His intervention comes as the presidents of Brazil, Mexico and Colombia all called on Venezuela to release the full details of last Sunday’s election.
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It has also attracted global criticism, with many governments around the world demanding the Venezuelan government release proof of the result.
The result has been recognised by Venezuelan allies China, Russia and Iran.
But, the US, European Union and other G7 countries have called on Mr Maduro’s government to release detailed voting data.
Because the official evidence is held by the incumbent government. The evidence we do have access to, from extensive exit polls by neutral auditors to the mandated voting station slips (small pieces of paper that each voter is issued giving them the electronic count so far at that station) both track a 60 - 70% lead for the opposition.
In response, instead of releasing the official report, the incumbent government has brutally crushed several protests (even killing protestors), arrested the opposition, and claimed victory. Not exactly the pattern of behavior of an innocent victor.
Just to clarify, the evidence provided by opposition is not from exit polls. The evidence is genuine voting receipts from the machines that are supposed to be* guaranteed to each party’s site observers
*Opposition says many of their observers were removed without being allowed access to their polling site receipts to explain why they didn’t have them all
The electronic machines provide every voter a paper receipt that shows which candidate they chose. Voters are supposed to deposit their receipts at ballot boxes before exiting the polls.
After polls close, each machine prints a tally sheet showing the candidates’ names and the votes each received. Party representatives stationed at polling sites throughout election day get a copy of the tally sheet, and electoral authorities keep another one.
So release the official counts and let people compare their voting slips? Don’t arrest your opposition?
If it quacks like a dictatorship and stinks like a dictatorship…
