In Venezuela’s flawed vote, Maduro shows one way to retain power

Venezuela’s regional elections Sunday were distorted by an uneven playing field, violence and injunctions against opposition leaders, European Union election observers said Tuesday.

But the mere presence of independent international monitors, the first in 15 years to witness a Venezuelan vote, underlined how profoundly President Nicolás Maduro has cemented himself into power in Venezuela since taking office in 2013.

After years of suppressing dissent with force and subverting the vestiges of Venezuela’s democratic institutions, Maduro has perfected a political system where he no longer has much fear of international scrutiny when competing against carefully calibrated opponents, according to analysts and opposition leaders.

The government showed that by banning the most prominent and popular opposition leaders from running for office, dividing opposition parties, encouraging voter apathy and keeping a loyal minority dependent on government handouts, it can win elections without resorting to outright fraud — even with minimal popular support.

The ruling Socialist Party won at least 19 of Venezuela’s 23 governorships, as well as the majority of mayoral offices, despite presiding over a destroyed economy and having the support, polls show, of only about 15% of the people. One in five Venezuelans has fled the country under Maduro’s rule, and 95% of those who remain don’t earn enough to meet basic needs, according to a study by the country’s main universities.

The ruling party’s sweep was greatly aided by the divisions within the opposition. Some opposition leaders boycotted the vote, as most of them did in other recent elections. Those who chose to participate divided votes with factions that had made pacts with Maduro or adopted a softer line against the president to take advantage of the economic liberalization that he has allowed in recent years.

The EU observation mission said Tuesday that it could not call Sunday’s vote free or fair, in part because of the unfair advantages enjoyed by the ruling party, and the lack of rule of law.

The mission, however, highlighted several democratic improvements in Sunday’s elections, going as far as to call the country’s electronic vote processing system “reliable.”

The United States, which does not recognize Maduro’s government, called the election deeply flawed, but commended the opposition candidates who decided to participate to keep the few democratic offices they still held.

© 2021 The New York Times Company