2018: President Maduro Accused the U.S. of Pressuring the United Nations to not Send Election Observers

In September 2017, President Maduro and the Opposition Coalition (MUD) leaders agreed to a Dialogue process to establish agreement on the 2018 Presidential election process and rules. One demand made by the Opposition was for the Government to ask the United Nations to send a Team of Election Observers to monitor the election. Maduro agreed to ask the UN to send observers. While Maduro signed the final draft election agreement, the Opposition leaders did not. Nevertheless, Maduro said that state institutions would still comply with the electoral guarantees established in the agreement- including requesting UN electoral observers.

On February 22, 2018 Electoral Board President Tibisay Lucena announced that the CNE had formally invited the UN to observe the Presidential Election. According to Lucena, the participation of the UN would demonstrate the legitimacy of the Venezuelan electoral system.[1]

Representatives of President Maduro and independent opposition candidate Henri Falcon travelled to U.N. headquarters in New York City in early March seeking to persuade the body to send observers for the May 20 vote.[2] On March 12, supporters of the opposition coalition marched on the headquarters of the UN in Caracas to protest the possibility of the UN sending an observer mission. In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the opposition alleged that an observer mission would “give a veneer of legality to an [electoral]process that lacks it.” [3][4] 

On March 23, a UN official said the UN would not provide any electoral assistance for the Presidential election. No explanation of the decision was provided publicly.[2] President Maduro denounced the United States for pressuring Guterres so that the UN would not send observers.[5]

1. Venezuelanalysis, Venezuela petitions UN to Accompany Presidential Elections, Opposition Announces Boycott, February 22, 2018

2. AP, UN official: No aid for controversial Venezuela election, March 23, 2018

3. Venezuelanalysis, Venezuelan Opposition Protests Proposed UN Electoral Observer Mission, March 14, 2018

4.Reuters, Venezuela opposition asks UN not to send observers to May vote, March 12, 2018

5. Alba Ciudad, Maduro denounces US Pressure to Prevent UN from attending elections, March 8, 2018

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