(Bloomberg) — The Carter Center will send a team to observe elections in Venezuela next month, after the exclusion of European Union observers raised concerns about the legitimacy of the electoral process.
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The Atlanta-based organization on Wednesday accepted an invitation that Venezuela’s electoral authority extended in March, according to Jennie Lincoln, its top adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean.
President Nicolás Maduro seeks a third consecutive term in the July 28 vote after the government banned his biggest rival, Maria Corina Machado, to run. The country said in May it would bar EU monitors after the group refused to lift all sanctions against government officials.
The governments of Colombia and Brazil later said they would also not send missions to supervise the vote.
The National Electoral Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The group’s technical mission is expected to arrive on June 29 to observe the process, which includes the evaluation of candidates’ campaigns and the organization of voting centers, among other aspects, said Lincoln.
The opposition has sought credible international observers as previous Venezuelan elections were marred by accusations of fraud and government interference. After Machado was removed, the group appointed Edmundo González Urrutia, a relatively unknown former diplomat, who has been campaigning in his place.
Government Repression
The Maduro government’s repression increased in the days leading up to the official start of the campaign on July 4. The government recently arrested four activists and journalists linked to the opposition and barred several mayors from provincial cities where the opposition has gathered.
The Carter Center last oversaw Venezuela’s regional elections in 2021, after which it found evidence of political interference in the electoral council and concluded that voting did not meet basic international standards for democratic elections.
The non-profit organization Carter Center, founded by former US president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, monitor elections around the world, among other activities such as fighting diseases.
(Updates to include details about the Carter Certer mission starting in the first paragraph.)
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