2013: Nicolas Maduro Was Declared the Winner of the Presidential Election

Hugo Chavez was re-elected President in October 2012, defeating Miranda Governor Henrique Capriles by an 11-point margin. Chavez named Nicolas Maduro as Vice President and urged Venezuelans to vote for him if he (Chavez) did not recover from cancer surgery. Chavez died on March 5, 2013 and Maduro was sworn in as “interim” President. Article 233 of the Constitution stipulates that an election must be held within 30 days following “abandonment” by an elected President. Maduro and Capriles registered as candidates. Maduro’s party (PSUV) was joined by 14 political parties supporting his nomination. The opposition coalition (MUD) endorsed Capriles. On April 9, Maduro signed an Electoral Council (CNE) agreement that he would respect the results of the election. Capriles refused to sign the agreement. [1] Three opposition legislators announced they were breaking with Capriles’ campaign warning of a MUD plan to reject the election results if Maduro won. [2]

Capriles urged his supporters to vote, telling them “The vote is secret.” He mocked Maduro’s bus driver background claiming he was “unsuitable” to be President; he “guaranteed” that he would keep Chavez’s social benefit programs in place; he blamed food shortages, crime and corruption on the government. [3] Capriles was a highly recognized name and a polished candidate due to his run for President in 2012.

Maduro vowed to continue Chavez’s social programs saying: “I am the son of Chavez.” He portrayed himself as a “working-class” President; he criticized Capriles’ ties to the US and called Capriles a “rancid capitalist.” [4] Maduro was an awkward speaker. He had never campaigned before. An opinion poll in early March showed Maduro with a 20% lead over Capriles while a poll just before the election revealed that Maduro’s lead had declined to 5%. [5]

In 2012, Jimmy Carter called the Venezuelan voting system “the best in the world.” [6] The Carter Center described the Venezuela voting system as follows:

·        Voters cast ballots using touchscreen machines. After voting, they receive a printed receipt (confirming the electronic vote), which must be deposited in a ballot box. Those receipts are later used for a verification or “audit” which is done on election day in about half of the polling places after the polls close. The totals from the paper receipts are compared to the electronic tally. The official election returns are those transmitted electronically to the Electoral Council, not the paper receipts.

The election was held on April 14. 80% of the electorate voted (15 million). After the polls closed, 54% of the ballot boxes were opened and the ballots were counted and verified the electronic totals. That same evening, the Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner with 50.66% of the vote compared to Capriles’49.07%-a difference of about 200,000 votes. (1.5%) Maduro was sworn in as President on April 19, 2013.

    

1.Venezuelanalysis,Capriles Attacks Venezuelan Electoral Council, Refuses to Sign Document, April 10, 2013

2. Venezuelanalysis,Three Opposition Legislators Withdraw Support, Allege Plans to not Recognise Venezuelan Election Results, 3/28/2013.

3. Venezuelanalysis, Venezuela’s Snap Presidential Election: A Campaign Without Issues? April 9, 2013.

4. Venezuelanalysis, Insults and Promises in Venezuelan Presidential Campaign as Vote Draws Near, April 9, 2013.

5. Sagarzazu, Inaki,Venezuela 2013: A Country in Two Halves,Revista de Ciencia Politica,Vol 34, No 1, 2014

https://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0718-090X2014000100015&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=en

6. Venezuelanalysis, Former US President Jimmy Carter: Venezuelan Electoral System “Best in the World,” September 22, 2012.

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