Can there be free and fair elections in Venezuela?

History has shown that elections in Venezuela for the past 16 years Venezuela have been tainted. Although some may say that there is a democracy because there are elections, most of them have not been fair.

On December 6, 2015, Venezuela will embark on the journey of trying once again to have transparent Parliamentary elections. The inability of the Maduro regime to conduct honest and transparent elections started in 2014 when Maduro “won” the presidential election against Henrique Capriles.  Ignoring the request of the opposition to recount the votes, Maduro “won” by a very narrow margin. Although Maduro agreed to re-count the votes, that never happened and Capriles lost the election

Prior to the 2014 Presidential elections, a survey conducted by the Venezuelan Institute for Data Analysis indicated that 45% all Venezuelans (including Chavistas) would have voted for Henrique Capriles. 39 % said they would have voted for Nicolas Maduro and 16 % were undecided.  We all know the outcome.

Since then, the Maduro regime with President of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, have repeatedly made undemocratic moves by paralyzing members of the Parliament. That is the case of Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado who had been fired from her Legislature post by Diosdado Cabello even though the people of Venezuela elected her. Other opposition leaders banned from running are Daniel Ceballo, former Mayor of San Cristobal Municipality, in Tachira State, and Vicencio “Enzo” Scarano, former mayor of the municipality of San Diego in Carabobo State.

The electoral corruption and violation of democratic principals didn’t start with Nicolas Maduro. According to Forensic Analysis of Venezuelan Elections, during Chávez there were a number of elections with questionable outcomes. A case in point is the 2004 Presidential Recall Referendum. According to Forensic Analysis, the reliability of the voters registered was questionable, and there were unusual “variations in the electoral roll which were decisive in winning the 50% majority in the 2004 Referendum.”

Going back to the new December 2015 Parliamentary elections, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has rejected the OAS proposal to take part in the election as an observer. In a country where there is no transparency and the institutions of government are sequestered, can we honestly believe that Venezuela will have fair and transparent elections?

The Maduro Regime's fear

The fear of the Maduro regime is even more apparent today, with the suspension of Assemblywoman Maria Corina Machado from applying for public office for a year.  This move occurred, this past week from the Venezuelan controller.  It is undemocratic and rather pathetic. The most corrupted regime in the history of Venezuela is accusing Machado of failing to account for food vouchers received during her early years in congress.

This decision is aimed to paralyzed Maria Corina Machado, from qualifying for the Venezuelan Parliamentary elections which will be held in Venezuela on December 6, 2015.  The Maduro regime

is afraid of the outcome, due to the terrible economic and social situations that exist in Venezuela today.  Maduro and his cronies are desperately trying to hold on to their power and to silence the opposition leaders who are otherwise likely to be elected.

Maria Corina Machado, an industrial Engineer and the mother of three, was elected to represent Miranda state in 2010 by an overwhelming majority. In 2013 she was physically attacked on the floor of the National Assembly by pro-Chavez individuals, for backing several weeks of nationwide protests against the illegal election of Nicolas Maduro to replace Hugo Chavez. 

National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello, who witnessed the attack and did nothing to stop it, accused Maria Corina of inciting violence in which many  protesters and police officers died. 

Diosdado Cabello, currently being nvestigated in the United States as a narco-trafficker, has also accused Maria Corina of treason,  and criminal conspiracy.  

After 16 years of fraudulent elections, corruption, money laundering, drug trafficking, human right violations, and other crimes, the only thing left to get rid of Maduro and his cronies in power is an implosion in Venezuela.

People live in feat in Venezuela under the Maduro Regime

The President of the Venezuela Chamber of Commerce, Jorge Roig fears for his life due to the constant threats he receives from the Maduro regime.  Like many Venezuelans, he is afraid to be imprisoned for expressing his disagreement with Maduro.According to Roig, a business closes every day because the government controls the businesses' purchasing and manufacturing funds.  Maduro consistently states that the Venezuelan private sector is waging an economic war against the government. In Roig’s view, the only thing happening in Venezuela is corruption and scandals that involve high-level government officials, such as the recent case with the Andorra Bank.

In addition to its hyper corruption and impunity, the government violates Venezuelans rights to protest and speak freely. The incarceration of the Caracas Mayor, Antonio Ledezma, and the constant threats and harassment former Assembly Woman Maria Corina Machado receives from this regime are the most recent cases of Maduro’s arbitrary and undemocratic actions. In addition, after a year, political leader Leopoldo Lopez and Mayor Ceballos are still in prison and victims of this dictatorial government Finally, our Venezuelan heroes, our students, are paying a very high price, living in subhuman conditions in jails, for protesting.

The Venezuelan people feel the same fear and frustration that Mr. Roig expresses. Venezuela's judicial system is controlled by a regime that lacks respect for the Democratic process, the Law, and the Citizens of Venezuela. These feelings have created chaos and economic instability in the country and the Venezuelan people are drowning in despair.

Diosdado Cabello has been Hovering around the Falling Nicolas Maduro, but his Fate is also on the line

Diosdado Cabello, the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly has been in the headlines lately, but not because he is a nice individual. He is as ruthless and power hungry former military man. As the Maduro regime weakens and the economy is at its all time low, Diosdado Cabello lurks around like a vulture waiting for the right moment to take over. Yet, the new allegations against him as one of the leaders of the drug cartel Soles  may bring a game change to Diosdado Cabello’s fate.

The case against Diosdado Cabello’s as the leader of the Soles drug cartel is now growing in Washington, with the recent allegations from  Leamsy 

Salazar who was his main Security Officer.  Leamsy Salazar was originally Hugo Chavez's Security Officer for 10 years, and is now in the United States where he is working with authorities building the case against Diosdado.

This is not the first time that Diosdado Cabello is accused of  drug trafficking. In 2012, Venezuelan Supreme Court judge Eladio Aponte connected Diosdado Cabello with  corruption and drug traffickers. The judge turned over proof of Diosdado Cabello's ties  

to narco-trafficking to the DEA.  According to  Judge Aponte, the late Hugo Chavez was also involved in the drug operations carried out by Venezuelan military.

Diosdado Cabello is also known to be responsible for orchestrating abuses in the National Assembly, where Counsel woman Maria Corina Machado and other assembly members were beaten under his watch. Later, he arbitrarily removed  Machado from her post, in violation of the Venezuelan Bolivarian Constitution. Since the Venezuelan people elected Machado, she can't be fired  from her post by the President of the National Assembly.

Similarly, Diosdado Cabello was personally involved in the unjustified arrest and conviction of Leopold Lopez.  It was on February, 2014, when cabello, and  he remaines prisoner of the Maduro regime.