The level of Norteamericano imperialist arrogance towards the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has peaked in the wake of the October 15 regional elections. To the dismay of US and Canadian leaders, the pro-Chavista forces which support President Nicolas Maduro did better than expected in some quarters, winning 18 of 23 state governorships. Bowing to public opinion, and recognizing that their recent campaign to overthrow Maduro through street violence has backfired, four of the five opposition-backed governors agreed to be sworn into their positions by Delcy Rodriguez, the head of Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly. Venezuelan sovereignty and democracy have weathered this Yankee-inspired storm, and the country can focus on tackling its urgent economic and social issues.
But anyone who listens only to politicians in Washington and Ottawa would never understand this reality. Instead, the Trump administration and the Trudeau Liberals (speaking through fascist-friendly Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland), continue to invent arguments that the Venezuelan regional elections were “fraudulent.” This is particularly rich coming from Washington, where the ultra-right president received 2.9 million votes less than his rival but took office due to the historical anachronism known as the Electoral College. We also note that while the Democrats complain about “foreign meddling”, both US parties have continually interfered in the electoral campaigns of dozens of other countries for decades.
The fact is that the Venezuelan regional elections were conducted peacefully by the National Electoral Council, and that over than 11 million people cast ballots, a turnout of 61.4%. The results have been accepted by most of the opposition. This is in sharp contrast to the US system, which is notorious for gerrymandering, confusing procedures and systematic voter suppression against Blacks and other racialized people. If Chrystia Freeland and Justin Trudeau want to find “fraudulent” elections, they should look on the other side of the border, not in Venezuela.
