Alejandro Peña Esclusa is an engineer, writer, analyst, and political advisor. A pioneer of the first protests in his country against the Chavista regime, he was imprisoned for a year in El Helicoide (a prison notorious for its torture) and is now a political exile. An expert on the Sao Paulo Forum and the influence of cultural Marxism, he is the author of several books on these subjects. One of them is particularly relevant today, after the elections in Venezuela: “The Electoral Frauds of the Sao Paulo Forum”.
Finally, there has been another electoral fraud in Venezuela.
Yes, and unfortunately everything that is happening was expected. Before the elections, I was interviewed by a Hungarian media and I said that there would be fraud. Maduro’s government has followed the steps that, as I explain in my book, are necessary for a comprehensive fraud. Let us remember that the process begins months before the elections and does not end until a few weeks after the results, and includes the following: The co-optation of the electoral authorities, in this case the National Electoral Council (CNE); the falsification of the electoral roll with non-existent voters; the publication of false polls in favour of the regime; the expulsion of international observers who are not supporters of the regime; and, of course, the use of voting and electronic counting systems that can be manipulated. All this has happened in Venezuela, so that we can almost speak of a slow-motion fraud.
But did you expect the fraud to be so blatant?
Fuerza Solidaria
Yes, because with such a strong opposition, the fraud had to be blatant. In fact, the regime was scared and decided to disqualify the opposition leader María Corina Machado, imprison or persecute her closest team, and harass anyone who publicly supported her. The fundamental problem is that Maduro and his clique cannot give up power. They have committed so many crimes that they know that the moment they leave power they are finished. That is why they had no qualms about committing such a blatant and obvious fraud, especially in the absence of international observers.
Does the opposition have enough polling stations to prove victory?
I trust the word of María Corina Machado, who counted 40% of the polling stations last night. Those 40% of the polling stations, which came from all over the country, showed a very clear victory for the opposition, 70% in favour of Edmundo Gonzalez and 30% in favour of Maduro. That is like a poll of 40% of the electorate, and there is no way to change that 70%-30% to 51%-45% in favor of Maduro as the regime claims.
Was there any independent opinion poll?
Yes, by an American company, Edison Research. Their results are in line with the opposition’s data.
What do you think will happen now?
I am convinced that this will turn against him because the theft has been so blatant that I find it very difficult to believe that Maduro can stay in power. Moreover, the Venezuelan people are mobilised and not willing to accept fraud, and they have a credible leader, a coherent leader who is willing to go all the way. I think Maduro’s days are numbered.
But for that to happen, part of the regime must turn against him.
Yes, and that is something that can happen because the pressure is too great and Maduro is incapable of dealing with the country’s problems. After such a blatant fraud, Maduro has enormous illegitimacy, and that puts him in a weak position.
The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, has not recognised the results despite belonging, like Maduro, to the Puebla Group.
This is very interesting because the fact that Boric and also Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala do not recognise the results sold by Maduro means that there is a division within the Puebla Group. Moreover, the position of Lula da Silva and Gustavo Petro has not been as accommodating as that expressed by Xiomara Castro in Honduras or Luis Arce in Bolivia. This fracture in the Puebla Group indicates that some realise that such blatant theft cannot be supported and that in reality it is not a fraud, it is a coup d’état.
On the contrary, Russia and China have congratulated Maduro.
This is not surprising, of course, because it was to be expected, just as Cuba’s support for Maduro was certain.
The U.S., Argentina, the UK, and other EU countries are clearly talking about fraud. Will the international community finally rise to the occasion?
It is very difficult for the international community, the democratic community, to recognise this fraud. Maduro will try to buy time, but he faces a mobilised people and an angry international community. Let’s think for a moment about the consequences of this fraud. Not only will Venezuelans not return to their country, on the contrary, exile will increase and many more will go to other countries that can no longer take in more exiles. It would also set a very bad precedent for the region, and if such a scandalous fraud is allowed to happen, it will be repeated in other countries. Maduro’s accomplices who endorse this fraud would have no qualms about doing the same in their nation. It is a declaration of intent. Moreover, Spanish politicians such as Juan Carlos Monedero and Irene Montero have approved the fraud.
That is why the international community must reject this coup and demand that Edmundo González be recognised as the elected president. What worries me is the lukewarm reaction of some European left-wing politicians, such as Josep Borrell, who have been very weak in their statements. It is not enough to ask for the minutes, because the fraud was so obvious that the only logical, decent, and democratic position is to say, as Javier Milei has done, that the dictator must go.
