The Venezuelan Elections Represent A Victory of Democracy

The results of the Venezuelan subnational elections held on November 21 ratified the democratic character of the Bolivarian people and their commitment to peace. Citizens went to the polling stations in a process described as successful by international companions, political parties, and authorities. Electoral attendance reached 42.26 percent of the people called to vote.

RELATED:

Venezuela Rejects US Interference After Sunday’s Elections

Venezuelans elected 23 governors, 335 mayors, 253 legislators, and 2,471 councilors. For the first time since 2007, the opposition participated in the democratic process.

People Ratified The Chavista Leadership

The Great Patriotic Pole (GPP) alliance, which is made up of political organizations that support the President Nicolas Maduro, obtained 18 out of 23 states in dispute. The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allies also obtained 205 out of 335 mayoralties.

These results show that the revolutionary forces are willing to continue promoting the legacy of Commander Hugo Chavez despite the U.S. blockade, which has seriously affected the population's daily well-being. According to the political analyst Franco Vielma, the Chavismo's electoral victory is very significant because it happened "in asymmetric and unfavorable conditions. The revolutionary forces won despite the accumulation of foreign pressure and the damage to the country's economic structure caused by the blockade. A victory in these conditions is no small thing."

The Mission Verdad Editor Ernesto Cazal commented that "the participation of Chavismo has given a resounding victory to the revolutionary bloc and showed that the opposition forces are clearly divided. Voters reaffirmed Chavismo as the main political force."

Radical Opposition Resumes Peaceful Struggle for Power

One of the main achievements of the dialogue between the Venezuelan government and the opposition was the return of the most belligerent opposition sectors to non-violent political struggle. The 2021 subnational elections evidenced this precisely because they were attended by opponents who had openly rejected the electoral processes for years.

"It is a matter of time for those extremist sectors to return to the electoral path. Democratic institutions are stronger than ever," President Maduro said in August.

According to CNE data, Democratic Unity Table (MUD), the largest opposition party, won the governments of the states of Cojedes and Zulia, while Neighborhood Force (FV) won in the state of Nueva Esparta. Two of the opposition candidates were re-elected to their positions as governors.

Regarding the results of the mayoralties, the MUD won 59 mayoralties, the Democratic Alliance achieved control of 37 cities, and other opposition groups achieved 21 mayoralties. Once the official results were known, the opposition candidates expressed their opinion on the lesson left by the Venezuelan people in the elections.

"Politics cannot be practiced seeking division. Nor can it be exercised from social networks, which will never replace direct contact with the people," said Manuel Rosales, an opposition politician who was reelected as governor of the state of Zulia.

"The opposition made mistakes for many years," said David Uzcategui, a FV politician who ran for governor of Miranda state but lost to the PSUV candidate. His statements reveal the existing division between opposition groups, which could not agree to present a single candidate for each position in dispute. On Sunday, he acknowledged that his group lost about 44,000 votes because the MUD leaders gave wrong, contradictory political messages to their followers.

The Unit for National Development Becomes a Priority

The National Assembly (AN) President Jorge Rodriguez affirmed that "the first and main defeated" in the elections was violence. "We defeated those who argued that the elections were not the way to resolve political conflicts among Venezuelans. They received their dose of loneliness on November 21 because they aspired for electoral abstention to be immense," he said.

In the legislative elections held on December 2020, the most radical opponents called on the population not to vote and not to recognize the electoral results. Eleven months later, however, they participated in the subnational elections and called on their supporters "to vote to make a difference."

The 2021 elections also created greater opportunities for calls for unity to consolidate. This will allow national and sub-national authorities to work in favor of economic development and the defense of sovereignty. The electoral results reformulated "the political equation" since the trends towards political stability and economic recovery will allow political actors "to do what they have to do without leaving anyone behind," Vielma explained.

"We are going to guarantee with our work a great and powerful destiny to build together the new prosperity," President Maduro pointed out.