By Spokesman Newsroom
CARACAS, Venezuela (Tuesday 30th July 2024) – Members of the media from across the globe, including representatives from the Caribbean, United Kingdom and Africa were among 910 international guests invited by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) to provide coverage of the recently concluded Presidential Elections in Venezuela. Nicolas Maduro, the candidate of the PSUV, was declared the re-elected winner, a result that has been mired in controversy due to claims of election irregularities from the opposition.
However, President Maduro has defended the legitimacy of the process, asserting that the elections were free and fair. On Election Day, international media personnel, including reporters, videographers, bloggers, and photographers, were escorted to various polling stations around the capital city, Caracas.
The media teams were provided with opportunities to observe the voting process and interact with election officials and voters. At one polling station, election worker Dionnnelys Osmelys Martinez, speaking through a translator, detailed the voting procedure.
As understood, on the day of elections, the person (voter) will give you the ID and then she/he will be recorded on the voters registry, then the voter is going – REGIONAL NEWS – to put his/her finger on the fingerprint device, and then he is going to go to the voting selection machine. From there he/ she is going to select on screen the candidate of choice, then after the receipt is printed and signed (by the voter) and then put in the ballot box by the voter also.
Some reporters also had the chance to speak with local voters. This media house spoke with a woman named Angela Rodriguez, who shared her perspective on the election process. When asked how long she had been voting, Rodriguez responded, “I have voted in every election from Chavez to today.” Regarding the transparency of the process, she commented, “I think we have a very transparent process.” The translator further elaborated on her statement, saying, “She believes that we have a very transparent process.
It just so happens that until now we’ve won.” When questioned about the significance of voting, Rodriguez added, “It is enabling positive changes in society and that it empowers Venezuelans to give whoever wins the ability to give us progress and change for the better.” Following the elections, President Maduro addressed international guests including media workers at a session held on Monday, 29th July whereby he reaffirmed the integrity of the elections. He stated that the elections were “constitutional and legal” and praised the resilience of the Venezuelan people in the face of new challenges, particularly during what he described as “the harshest conditions.” Maduro reflected on the eight-year blockade that has led to both internal and external pressures on Venezuela, including what he termed “criminal sanctions against society and economy.” He praised the people of Venezuela for “ have never been moved by hate… but we have been target by hate.” He also described the campaign as one of “love and peace.” “We have won what is possible and impossible to protect the peace in Venezuela because we love Venezuela,” Maduro stated.
He also referred to the election as a “final battle against fascism,”
