Citizen Monitoring

Electoral Fraud in Venezuela’s Presidential Elections

yomonitoreo — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:21:20 +0000

An electoral fraud primer for Venezuela’s presidential elections. That fact that the 2013 presidential election in Venezuela was completely anti-democratic was underlined by the absolute lack of interest by the State to even fake its democratic credentials. Therefore, what >> Ver más

OAS chief backs call for recount in Venezuela vote

yomonitoreo — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:20:52 +0000

The head of the Organization of American States on Monday backed calls for a recount in Venezuela’s presidential elections, offering the help of experts from the regional body. “Regarding the need to carry out an audit and complete recount of the vote, Secretary General (Jose >> Ver más

Hundreds of Latin American leaders demand fair elections in Venezuela (El País)

yomonitoreo — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 11:25:10 +0000

Accusations of irregularities and favoritism by the Election Commission increase ahead of Sunday’s presidential elections. Accusations and documentation of irregularities and violations in the electoral system presented by the opposition against the State and its candidate >> Ver más

Government media and Maduro violate ban on campaign activities in Venezuela (Clarín, Argentina)

yomonitoreo — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:16:15 +0000

State-supported candidate Nicolas Maduro continued his campaign yesterday in Caracas. Still don’t know how he cheated the electoral system? Read the electoral fraud primer for Venezuela’s presidential elections. State media have refused to comply with the ban on campaign >> Ver más

Venezuela: 70 hours of State media coverage for government candidate (April 2-12, NGO Citizen Monitor report)

yomonitoreo — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 09:33:54 +0000

Between April 2 and 11, in preparation for Sunday’s presidential election, State television channel Venezuelan Television (VTV) transmitted 65 hours and 21 minutes of government candidate Nicolas Maduro’s campaign events. Even after the official campaign period ended, >> Ver más

Henrique Capriles accuses Venezuelan state media of bias in favouring political rival (The Independent)

yomonitoreo — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 22:27:17 +0000

Henrique Capriles has hit out at the overwhelming bias of the Venezuelan state media, claiming that the VTV channel alone has given 46 hours and 43 minutes of coverage to Nicolas Maduro since the former bus driver became acting President after the death of Hugo Chavez on 8 March. Over the same >> Ver más

Venezuela’s Capriles cries foul ahead of election (AFP)

yomonitoreo — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:20:18 +0000

Venezuelan opposition candidate Henrique Capriles on Monday accused acting president Nicolas Maduro of unfairly using state media and money in his campaign to succeed the late Hugo Chavez. The accusations come two weeks before voters choose a new president following the death of Chavez, >> Ver más

Unfair Campaign Conditions mark Presidential Elections in Venezuela (Los Angeles Times)

yomonitoreo — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:07:26 +0000

Interim President Nicolas Maduro on Monday raised the curtain on Venezuela’s abbreviated campaign to elect a successor to Hugo Chavez, lavishly praising the late leader during a televised address but promising to tackle escalating crime, perhaps Chavez’s darkest legacy. >> Ver más

Election Commission President Ignores Campaign Violations while Exhorting Candidates to Play by the Rules

yomonitoreo — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:00:09 +0000

It is really difficult not to get upset watching the lady above, Electoral Board President Tibisay Lucena, come on TV and with that impish grin begin pontificating to the parties and to the candidates to follow the rules and not violate them during the upcoming campaign. Of course, Lucena >> Ver más

Maduro calls presidential opposition “heirs of Hitler” on Venezuelan State TV

yomonitoreo — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 08:15:46 +0000

Venezuela’s Acting President Campaigns by Relating His Opponents to Hitler The guy chosen to be Hugo Chavez’s heir in Venezuela isn’t letting a double digit lead in the polls stop him from attacking his opponents where it really hurts ahead of the country’s election. >> Ver más

CNE Head Lucena Loses Final Excuse for Not Regulating Pre-Campaign (Tal Cual)

yomonitoreo — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:21:04 +0000

The concept that the electoral body “does not regulate a presidential precampaign” has been useful so many times so rectors can justify all abuses and do nothing about it. That excuse has been used to play the fool in the face of abusive never-ending TV broadcasts. It’s no secret to >> Ver más

How to keep Chavez memory alive for your campaign? Name him 200 times a day! (Reuters)

yomonitoreo — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 04:43:11 +0000

Hugo Chavez’s protege and the new flagbearer of socialism in Venezuela has lost no time proving his loyalty in public – in fact, 3,456 times in just 16 days. That is the number of times acting President Nicolas Maduro has mentioned Chavez in speeches since his mentor’s >> Ver más

Seeking Competitive Elections in Venezuela (analysis, Election Alert #8)

yomonitoreo — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 03:34:13 +0000

Venezuelans’ historic turnout for the presidential elections of October 7 (80.48% of all registered voters) and acceptance of the results by all parties might indicate that this electoral process was an example for the democratic world. Indeed, the efforts of political parties, non-governmental >> Ver más

Electoral Council is politicized; government abuses public media in campaign (Wilson Center)

yomonitoreo — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:08:19 +0000

The upcoming presidential election in Venezuela slated for October 7 will not be just another election. This election is of fundamental importance. President Chávez, after 14 years in government, is seeking to be re-elected yet again for a six-year term. The Conditions of Competition >> Ver más

Chávez circumvents the law, turns public media into campaign engine (Council on Hemispheric Affairs)

yomonitoreo — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:04:46 +0000

In another glaring disadvantage, the Arriagada-Woldenberg report has underscored that the greatest weakness to Venezuelan democracy is probably the uneven media coverage being afforded of the candidates. While the law limits campaign advertisement to just three minutes of paid television >> Ver más

Venezuelan ballots counted honestly, but campaign unfair

yomonitoreo — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 08:52:27 +0000

The ballots may have been counted honestly, but experts say that the campaign as a whole was not fair. “The playing field is not level” in Venezuela because Chávez uses state resources to reward his followers and punish those who vote against him. The president also ramps up social spending >> Ver más

Venezuela elections hardly democratic (David Luhnow, Wall Street Journal)

yomonitoreo — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 08:09:55 +0000

The Latin American Bureau Chief to The Wall Street Journal, David Luhnow, talked about how Chávez’s control of state resources to fund his presidential campaign effectively crushed the opposition’s ability to communicate its messages via media, because private media is unable >> Ver más

Venezuela Election Commission again gives preferential treatment to PSUV candidates

yomonitoreo — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:19:27 +0000

As you may or not know, during the audits of the electoral “notebooks” (voter registry or voter rolls) for upcoming Gubernatorial elections, the opposition discovered that 108 voters were moved from one voting center (polling place) to another. In particular, the changes include >> Ver más

Chávez used government media for enormous election advantage (Wall Street Journal)

yomonitoreo — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 13:31:34 +0000

Mr. Chávez launched an effective propaganda campaign telling voters that Mr. Capriles was lying and would take away the programs. Mr. Chávez’s government had some enormous advantages. The Chávez camp used government advertising, as well as programs that all television and >> Ver más

Carter Center highlights inequality in Venezuela presidential campaign

yomonitoreo — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 07:33:27 +0000

The Carter Center’s independent study mission to Venezuela today released a pre-electoral report (PDF), which assesses the preparations for key elements of the process including voter registration, campaign conditions, voting conditions, integrity of the vote count, and >> Ver más

Subscribe to Citizen Monitoring weekly updates on equality and abuse in Venezuela’s elections

yomonitoreo — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 19:35:22 +0000

Subscribe to Alerts :: Weekly Newsletter Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Thank you for your interest! We send our newsletter once each week given the high frequency of abuse of power in Venezuela’s 2012 presidential elections. We will never share your email address >> Ver más

NGO ‘Citizen Monitoring’ Condemns Hugo Chávez Presidential Campaign Violations (El Universal)

yomonitoreo — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 18:23:00 +0000

Venezuelan law demands prison time for using public resources to campaign. The organization Citizen Monitoring (Monitoreo Ciudadano) alerts that the Venezuela National System of Public Media is continuously being used by Hugo Chávez for presidential election propaganda and campaigning. >> Ver más

What is a Cadena Nacional de Radio y Televisión, or National Blanket Broadcast in Venezuela?

yomonitoreo — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 18:08:00 +0000

In Venezuela, a “national chain” broadcast (Cadena Nacional de Radio y Televisión) is an obligatory National Blanket Broadcast that—by law—must be aired by all domestic radio and television stations. The mechanism allows President Hugo Chávez to commandeer the airwaves >> Ver más

6 days out, Venezuelan government websites use public funds to support Chávez (images)

yomonitoreo — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 03:59:04 +0000

Although this type of abuse of State resources is nothing new in President Hugo Chávez’ Venezuela, it is particularly striking just six days prior to the nation’s presidential elections. The images below show clear favoritism toward Chávez’ reelection as demonstrated >> Ver más

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council uses ballot confusion to favor Chávez

yomonitoreo — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 06:28:07 +0000

Last week, the Venezuelan National Electoral Council announced that all votes cast for the Unidad Democratica (Democratic Unity) party–which as you can see on the sample ballot (tarjetón electoral) below, features the picture of opposition candidate Henrique Capriles (circled >> Ver más

Chávez accused of election dirty tricks (Financial Times)

yomonitoreo — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:51:34 +0000

Shortly after Venezuelan television stations began a live broadcast of a major opposition rally this month, coverage was cut and replaced with images of President Hugo Chávez looking jovial and fatherly as he visited young children at school. It was one of the populist leader’s infamous >> Ver más

The Chávez Plan to Steal Venezuela’s Presidential Election: What Obama Should Do (Ray Walser, Ph.D.)

yomonitoreo — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:35:06 +0000

On October 7, 2012, Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez will stand for re-election against opposition candidate Henrique Capriles. The Venezuelan presidential election matters to the U.S.: Venezuela is a major oil supplier to the U.S.; Chávez’s anti-American worldview has led to alliances >> Ver más

A Feather in Capriles’s Cap (Francisco Toro, NYTimes)

yomonitoreo — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 07:05:02 +0000

Venezuela’s campaign for the presidential contest of Oct. 7 descended into farce last week when election officials chastised the opposition for abusing campaign rules. At issue was the hat worn by the opposition candidate Henrique Capriles at recent campaign events: a baseball >> Ver más

Who is speaking on Venezuelan TV – the president or the candidate? (Transparency International)

yomonitoreo — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 17:56:18 +0000

The following blog post was written by Alejandro Salas, Transparency International’s Regional Director for the Americas, and Natalie Baharav, Communications Officer at Transparency International. Presidential elections are coming up in Venezuela and it is essential for >> Ver más

Venezuelans bombarded by Chávez’s endless speeches on an almost daily basis (analysis, Andres Velasco)

yomonitoreo — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 17:42:39 +0000

[...] Of course, Capriles faces formidable obstacles. In a recent report, Human Rights Watch documented the accumulation of executive power and the erosion of human-rights protections in Venezuela. “For years, President Chávez and his followers have been building a system in which >> Ver más

If it’s not way-over-the-top, you’re not flaunting your power properly (Caracas Chronicles)

yomonitoreo — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 17:35:18 +0000

I’m fascinated by crazy little flash-in-the-pan controversies like the one over Capriles’s baseball hat. In case you’ve been living under a rock, two CNE directors have now weighed in to ask Capriles to stop wearing his Venezuelan-flag themed baseball cap, because it’s illegal >> Ver más

Canada also has compulsory government advertising: International comparison (Caracas Chronicles)

yomonitoreo — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 06:24:50 +0000

The also have compulsory government advertising on TV in Canada… it’s just ever so slightly different in tone from what you get in Venezuela: Just to be clear: governments do of course have a legitimate need to communicate with the people on certain issues now and then. In proper >> Ver más

Venezuela electoral body probes both sides, baseball cap (Reuters, AP)

yomonitoreo — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 06:13:09 +0000

Venezuela’s election commission is investigating both sides in this year’s bitterly contested presidential race over alleged campaign irregularities, a mere two months before voters head to the polls in the South American OPEC nation. President Hugo Chavez is squaring >> Ver más

Chávez government bans NGO TV spots denouncing abuse of public resources in campaign (videos)

yomonitoreo — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 03:47:30 +0000

In a move more unbelievable than unexpected, President Hugo Chávez’ government placed a ban this week on several public service announcement TV spots that were being aired on a private television channel in Venezuela. The clips detail violations currently being committed by >> Ver más

Venezuela’s Free but Not Fair Elections (José R. Cárdenas)

yomonitoreo — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 04:16:44 +0000

José R. Cárdenas served in several foreign policy positions during the George W. Bush administration (2004-2009), including on the National Security Council staff. He is a consultant with Vision Americas in Washington, DC. With Venezuela’s presidential election only a few short >> Ver más

Chávez monopolizes airwaves for 15 hours in July, Capriles holds Facebook Forum (Foreign Policy)

yomonitoreo — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 04:02:29 +0000

[...] In order to continue making inroads [in the election campaign], [Henrique] Capriles must overcome a serious deficit in the airwaves. Venezuela’s Electoral Body is heavily restricting the amount of time each campaign can run ads on TV to no more than three minutes per day, per >> Ver más

In the quest for Venezuela’s next leader, abuse of State media (Transparency International)

yomonitoreo — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 06:24:09 +0000

Presidential elections will take place in Venezuela on 7 October determining who will lead the country for the next six years. Hugo Chavez’ main challenger to the presidency is Henrique Capriles, the opposition’s candidate and governor of the State of Miranda. After three cancer >> Ver más

Chavez says he won’t stop taking over airwaves (AP)

yomonitoreo — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 14:06:59 +0000

President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that he will not stop seizing control of Venezuela’s airwaves to give his trademark marathon television and radio addresses despite complaints from his challenger that it gives him an unfair advantage during the country’s presidential >> Ver más

Obama should help Venezuelans have fair elections (Hernando Today)

yomonitoreo — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 17:15:40 +0000

While Venezuela’s socialist strongman, Hugo Chavez, continues to buy Russian fighter jets and Chinese amphibious tanks, President Barack Obama has voiced his “concern” about the October 7 presidential election in that country. “My main concern when it comes >> Ver más

Chávez uses the power of his government to give himself an edge (What’s Next Venezuela?)

yomonitoreo — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 20:15:59 +0000

Facing what has become the closest electoral campaign of his life, Hugo Chávez is using the full force of the government, including its near-monopoly on the media, to give him an extra edge ahead of the October 7 vote. Two new polls are showing opposition candidate Henrique Capriles narrowing >> Ver más

Henrique Capriles: Public media and mandatory radio and TV broadcasts should not be used for political propaganda

yomonitoreo — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 20:10:41 +0000

Opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said that the government “stopped liking the Constitution and laws a while ago” and the “abuse of power” continues, especially in the election campaign. Opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said that the >> Ver más

Hugo Chávez and Henrique Capriles promise to respect election regulations (AP)

yomonitoreo — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 12:11:43 +0000

CARACAS – Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and his main contender Henrique Capriles signed an agreement Tuesday, committing to respect electoral regulations during the campaign in the run-up to presidential elections on October 7. Despite having signed the pact, Capriles expressed >> Ver más

Venezuela: Concentration and Abuse of Power Under Chávez (Human Rights Watch, report)

yomonitoreo — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:14:26 +0000

The concentration of power under President Hugo Chávez has taken a heavy toll on human rights in Venezuela, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 133-page report, “Tightening the Grip: Concentration and Abuse of Power in Chávez’s Venezuela”, documents >> Ver más

Public funds strengthen Chávez’ reelection campaign (Alerta Electoral)

yomonitoreo — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 20:26:33 +0000

In Official Gazette No. 39.937 of June 5, 2012, an additional credit of Bs. 1,196,344,526 (US$278,219,657.02) was approved for the Ministry of Communication and Information. This represents a 57% increase over its approved budget (Bs. 764,181,495) for 2012. Five opposition members >> Ver más

13 hours of mandatory government programming on radio and television in 16 days (Alerta Electoral)

yomonitoreo — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 20:17:57 +0000

From the time President Hugo Chávez officially registered his candidacy for reelection to a fourth term of office, he aired mandatory official broadcasts (presidential speeches) that added up to 13 hours of programming. Democratic Alternative candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski >> Ver más

Campaign inequality leads to democratic weaknesses (Alerta Electoral, editorial)

yomonitoreo — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 07:37:12 +0000

All Venezuelans—and the international community—can witness through the media the notable increase in the frequency and duration of the mandatory official radio and television broadcasts when the beginning of an electoral campaign is approaching. Government authorities have >> Ver más

Venezuela’s Chavez Uses National Address To Slam Opposition (Bloomberg)

yomonitoreo — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 06:59:26 +0000

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez used a system of national broadcasting known as “cadena” today to criticize Henrique Capriles Radonski, the opposition candidate he will face in elections set for Oct. 7. “He is a daddy and mommy’s boy,” Chavez said in a speech to the country’s >> Ver más

Dangerous Uncertainty ahead of Venezuela’s Elections (International Crisis Group)

yomonitoreo — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 11:00:04 +0000

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS Uncertainty over President Hugo Chávez’s health adds to Venezuela’s fragility in the run-up to October’s presidential election. Amid deep polarisation, his illness overshadows the campaign, while the personalised nature of his rule, >> Ver más

Blogosphere Discusses Venezuela Presidential Campaign (analysis, Laura Vidal)

yomonitoreo — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:51:56 +0000

The wrangling between one side and the other on the internet and between the political positions in Venezuela is not a surprise, especially during an election year. Venezuelan netizens are discussing the legality of the election campaign of President Hugo Chávez and the plans proposed >> Ver más

Venezuela Election Board Calls for Peaceful Presidential Campaigns (Wall Street Journal)

yomonitoreo — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 06:24:51 +0000

Venezuelan election officials said Thursday they were drafting an agreement to be signed by presidential candidates that aims to maintain peace and fairness during a campaign season where mudslinging has become common and amid rising concerns about violence. Supporters of the two major >> Ver más