Venezuela: Campaign for The Parliamentary Election Kicks Off

On Thursday, the National Electoral Committee (CNE) declared the formal start of the campaign prior to the elections to be held on Nov. 21, a day in which over 12 million Venezuelans will elect governors, mayors and lawmakers.

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The logistical conditions are set for the elections, which will be carried out on an automated system that promises to be the world's most transparent. Close to 70,000 candidates are expected to participate in the elections. Among them 3,082 canditates belong to the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and over 66,000 candidates are sponsored by different opposition organizations. 

After years of boycotting the democratic process in Venezuela, opposition parties and candidates will openly participate in the elections. Some of them have already attended rallies and presented their policy proposals.

The CNE President Pedro Calzadilla announced that 2,000 electoral prosecutors will be deployed to ensure there are no irregularities.

“The national public media system is available to all the political parties for the broadcasting of their campaigns.”, Communications Secretary Freddy Ñañez said and added that “it is a challenge for the media to be fair and balanced, but I believe that it can be done.”

Political ads spread through digital media will be regulated by the Electoral Processes Law. The electoral authorities wish to prevent the spread of fake news and stop destabilizing actions promoted in such spaces. 

International observers from the U.S Carter Center, the European Union, and the United Nations will also participate in the election. In order to disprove any claim of fraud, they will conduct an independent technical evaluation of the entire electoral process and make recommendations for future elections.