From May 18-22, 2018 Fire This Time was
invited to participate in the International
Observers Delegation to the Venezuela election.
We spent four days in Venezuela learning about
and experiencing the dynamics of a living and
breathing socialist experiment and a historic
election. Below is a journal of our initial
reflections and observations that we had while
in Venezuela. For more, including video reports,
photos and interviews direct from Venezuela
visit our website “Venezuela: This is What
Democracy Looks Like” at firethistimevenezuela2018.
tumblr.com
Day 1 - May 18
The day we left from Venezuela the Financial
Post newspaper had an article admitting that
Maduro would win this Presidential election,
but that “regime change” probably wasn’t far
away, and that was a good thing. The US
customs official eyed us up and didn’t seem to
believe we were travelling there at this time.
“Hope you come back.”
All this reinforced why we needed to come
here. So few people from Canada have visited
Venezuela, and the media campaign is so
persistent that a variety of outlandish stories
are now more or less accepted. Otherwise
critical minds seem to believe everything they
are told.
Now that we’ve been here for a
day we can confirm that Caracas
is not the burning hellhole of
“socialist mismanagement”
we’re told about. Surrounded
by steep hills on all sides, it
buzzes with activity. The
lights are on, hot water
comes out of the taps, and
there is an election about to
happen.
The drive from the airport looked
much the same as two months ago when
Fire This Time Movement for Social
Justice also participated in the delegation
to the “TodosSomosVenezuela”
conference. Except, this time we arrived
in the afternoon - so the billboards and
road stops painted in the colours of the
Venezuelan flag were much more visible.
We passed brightly and beautifully
coloured houses, and apartments, and
flew right over a Mission Vivienda (the
housing mission of the revolutionary
government) complex when we landed
- hundreds of homes that will be given
to poor and working Venezuelans for
free. Just imagine if we could have given
the free houses and apartments to poor
and low-income residents of the
Downtown East Side of Vancouver or
the growing number of homeless people
in Surrey.
This will be Venezuela’s 24th electoral
action in 19 years. There are four
presidential candidates and 16 political
parties participating. We are here, with
more than 300 observers from around the
world, to take it all in. We have a lot to
learn, and an important task of reporting
truthfully about the reality of this society
and its election. Very exciting!
Day 2 - May 19
Early in the morning, driving through the
steep streets of the city there were fruit,
eggs, meat, coffee and car parts on sale in
many little storefronts. There was election
graffiti stenciled on a lot of public walls,
and large public art dotting the different
neighborhoods.
Early in the morning, driving through the
steep streets of the city there were fruit,
eggs, meat, coffee and car parts on sale in
many little storefronts. There was election
graffiti stenciled on a lot of public walls,
and large public art dotting the different
neighborhoods.
The city of Caracas is surrounded by the state
of Miranda, “like a donut” as a Venezuela
community organizer explained on the bus.
Soon, we were in the Sucre Municipality in
Miranda looking down at Caracas - in front
of a large building with lined with colourful
blue loading bays, surrounded by a high fence.
This is on of the buildings of the National
Electoral Council (CNE). In this building
the electronic voting machines are tested and
verified - over 34,000 of them.
Talking to the CNE staff you could really feel
the pride Venezuelans have in their voting
system, as they describe in great detail the
various procedures and answer the many
questions we had about voting in Venezuela.
I have never heard someone explain hardware
as enthusiastically as the technician that
described to us the inner workings of the
voting machines.
The same electronic voting machines are used
in every area of the country - including the
most rural areas. Where there is no network
connection, the results from the machines can
be uploaded using a telephone signal; where
there is no telephone signal, the results can be
saved on an external device and uploaded from
a networked area. On election day, 53% of the
electronic reports throughout the country are
audited against the paper copies of the vote,
that are deposited by the voter in a ballot box.
If requested by any of the participants in the
election, there will be an 100% audit carried
out.
It was incredible to be able to observe the
verifications of the machines - and more so
to imagine the millions of Venezuelans that
will voting using these machines tomorrow.
Here the vote will be
universal, free, direct and secret, and to think
that this is what the government of Canada
refers to as an “illegitimate” election.
In the afternoon and evening, we had the
opportunity to hear presentations that set
the context for the vote happening tomorrow.
The first was by a representative from the
CNE in charge of voting centres in Caracas.
She explained about the origins of the
voting system in Venezuela today, starting
from the passing of the 1999 Constitution
of the Bolivarian revolution,
which established the five
independent branches of
Venezuela’s government - the
executive, the legislative, the
judicial, the citizens, and the
electoral - the CNE.
As part of her presentation, she
displayed photos of the rightwing
violence that took place
only 8 months ago, during
the election of the National
Constituent Assembly.
During this election, counterrevolutionary
mercenaries threw grenades at
the offices of the CNE, forced the closure
of voting centres, and destroyed ballot boxes
and over 200 voting machines. No one that I
have spoken to since we arrived is expecting
this level of violence from the U.S.-backed
opposition - but Venezuela is prepared, and
the rights of the Venezuelan people to vote
without fear of right-wing violence will be
protected tomorrow.
We learned more in depth about the incredible
amount of controls, verifications and
observations that are built into Venezuela’s
electoral system. This “dictatorship” has
developed the most secure voting process in
the world.
As we got ready to go to bed, television ads
were constantly encouraging people to vote
and explaining the simple process. A speech
from Comandante Chavez, the former
President of Venezuela and the leader of
the Bolivarian revolution, who passed away
in 2013, was also shown on the TeleSUR
television station. In this speech Chavez called
on the people of Venezuela, workers, students,
women, intellectuals, soldiers, technicians,
unions to unite in defense of the sovereignty
and self-determination of Venezuela. These
words are just as true today as they were then.
Election day! Day 3 - May 20
As we entered the Libertador municipality
of Caracas, there was a sound of a trumpet,
and soon after we pulled up to a voting centre.
We had arrived at the Miguel Antonio Caro
school - just moments after the first vote in
the country had been cast, that of Venezuelan
President Nicolas Maduro.
There was a drone flying overhead, filming
the lines of people forming along the sidewalk.
Others patiently waited in chairs
decorated with a bright red fabric.
Further into the voting centre,
people sat on long benches before they could
enter their assigned voting station. No one looked
impatient, or worried, and most were chatting
with their neighbour.
After observing this voting centre our
bus headed to the well-known workingclass
neighborhood of 23 de Enero (23rd
of January), this name was given to this
neighborhood in 1958 to commemorate the
overthrow of Venezuelan dictator Marcos
Perez Jimenez. As soon as we stepped off the
bus we were surrounded by many revolutionary
murals. These walls had images of former
President Hugo Chavez, Che Guevara and
art in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Not to mention that they were playing
Hasta Siempre, a song dedicated to Che
Guevara, on loud speakers at the entrance
to the community. Just walking through the
neighbourhood alone gave you the feeling
that this community was not just focused on
their own projects but felt connected to the
various struggles throughout the world.
In 23 de Enero there were several voting
centres for the block of apartments. We
were struck by how calm everything was. It
was before 6:30am and already there were
orderly lines at the voting centre. As we
walked by the line, we were greeted by many
friendly Venezuelans, they wanted us to see
their ID cards
that guarantees
them their right
to vote and
encouraged us
to take photos of
them.
As we entered
the building
used as the
electoral centre,
a community
electoral official
informed us
that we were
going to have
the opportunity
to see the voting process first hand. But first,
she wanted to explain to us how important it
was that they
made sure each
member of the
c ommu n i t y
had a chance
to vote. She
also told us that
members of
the community
would even go
door to door
throughout
the day to
encourage
everyone to
vote.
While in 23
de Enero, we
also visited a
voting center in
what turned out
to be President
Maduro’s old
high school.
There were really
big crowds out
front, and a large
shaded waiting
area inside. There
was right wing
and public TV
stations present.
Throughout
the morning,
we walked through several voting centers
and the air of calm and efficiency was the
same everywhere we went. Even some of
the international delegates who had been
skeptical of the voting process beforehand
were talking about how impressed they were.
The next voting centre we visited was on
an armed forces base, one which is used by
both service members and their families.
Before Comandante Chavez, members of the
military were forbidden from voting. Now
they wait their turn in line and can vote like
everybody else.
Again, it was very peaceful in the voting
areas. People seemed mostly shy to speak with
us, but one woman stopped us to say that
Venezuela isn’t like what we were seeing on
TV and she was here to defend her rights and
her country.
The observation mission continued at a large
hospital, where patients, doctors, nurses and
the surrounding community could vote. It seemed like a great
idea to bring the
voting directly to the
hospital if patients can’t
leave. Here, we had the
opportunity to interview Kaguer Brazon, a
19-year-old voting for his first time. He was
impressed by how calm the day had been,
and it was clear that he felt relaxed and wellprepared
for the entire process.
For the afternoon we left the city of Caracas
for the State of Vargas to the north, to
the social housing complex Urbanismo
Hugo Chavez. Visiting the voting centre at
Urbanismo Hugo Chavez was an amazing
experience. More then observing the election,
while in the community we were able to see
how Venezuelans are organising to solve
everyday problems with a government equally
committed to finding these solutions.
The voting centre we visited at the Urbanismo
Hugo Chavez is set-up in a community
building that lies in the centre of the
apartment buildings. As with the previous
voting centres, people were waiting patiently
to vote, sitting under large white tents that
have been set-up outside. Here there was also
music playing, and a strong atmosphere of
celebration and community.
Lola, a leader from the community council,
and organizer for the election, explained
that the social housing complex community
started out as a response to a natural disaster
that left many Venezuelan families homeless.
The government’s response was to start an
ambitious project to not just rebuild the
lost homes but to include the necessary
infrastructure to provide everything needed
to meet the social needs of those living in
the community. This included a health clinic,
market, police station and
recreational zones for
youth to play sports.
Throughout election
day, our team had
visited five different
voting locations and
seen many more in our
travels. We have no
hesitation in saying
we saw a process
which was well
organized, inclusive
and comprehensive
in terms of checks and balances. It was just as
interesting to drive through Caracas and see
pockets of people and voting lineups taking
place without fanfare all over the city.
Within three hours, we arrived at the
headquarters of the National Electoral
Council. We entered a large tent where the
press conference announcing the elections
results would be taking place. There were
dozens of television cameras set-up at the
back off the room, including one for CNN.
Mass capitalist media such as CNN had
already declared today’s election to be
“illegitimate,” - so it makes you wonder
why they even bother to show up for an
announcement of the results.
The official announcement came around
10:30pm, when just over 92% of the votes had
been reported. Maduro had won the election!
Over 5.8 million people voted to continue the
Bolivarian revolutionary process in Venezuela
and maintain their independence and
sovereignty and we have been witness to it!
President Maduro, the United Socialist Party
(PSUV) and supporters of the Bolivarian
revolutionary process won another clear six
year mandate to confront the challenges they
face.
President Maduro had clearly won, as he
had received over 4 million more votes then
the next opposition candidate behind him
Henri Falcon. However, it seemed that Falcon
already knew what the results would be,
because earlier in the day he had announced
that he wouldn’t be accepting the results of the
election.
We could hear fireworks going off following
the announcement of Maduro’s victory, and
we were able to see massive celebrations
happening around the country on Venezuelan
TV. We were sure the international press
would show none of these.
What has been increasingly obvious this entire
trip is that what the corporate mainstream
media, including in Canada, is saying about
the Venezuelan election is deliberately
distorted. There are many challenges here, but
nothing like the crisis we are told is here.
There is mass participation in the political
process and continued support for the
revolutionary government. Venezuela has
a challenging road ahead in building its
Socialist future, but this election was a very
important step forward. We feel fortunate to
have witnessed it for ourselves.
Day 4 - May 21
Monday morning in Caracas was business
as usual with Venezuelans returning to daily
life after weeks of preparation, campaigning,
voting and celebrating the re-election
of President Nicolas Maduro. The traffic
sounds were the loudest they have been, and
commuters were streaming into tall buildings
and sipping coffee at sidewalk stalls.
For a place that is supposed to not have
anything on the store shelves… there sure was
a lot of things on the store shelves. There’s no
denying there are challenges here, but people
are living their lives and what’s happening
is nothing even remotely resembling
the supposed widespread starvation and
desperation we are told there is.
The driving skills of our bus drivers were on
full display as we weaved our way though
traffic up to the Cuartel de las Montañas
(the mountain barracks). Today, these
barracks have become the final resting place
of Comandante Hugo Chavez and home to
El Museo Histórico Militar de Caracas (The
Historical Military Museum of Caracas).
The first thing we saw at the front gates of
the base was a large pedestal with a big
flame, this was the eternal flame that was lit
to commemorate Chavez’s legacy after he
passed away. Behind the flame was a large 4F
which has a huge significance in Venezuelan
history. 4F means 4th of February when the
Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 led
by Hugo Chavez in 1992 had attempted take
power to dispose of a corrupt government.
Although it failed, Chavez took responsibly
and this made him a well-known figure in
Venezuela and later helped him launch his
victorious presidential campaign.
Once inside the Barracks complex, you had
to walk through a corridor of flag polls with
a flag from each country in Latin America,
and at the end we were greeted by our tour
guide. He was a Venezuelan militia member
who enthusiastically explained the history of
the Barracks.
We had an opportunity to pay respects to
Chavez and hear the voices of the changing
of the guard ring off the tall walls, Dignidad!
Unidad! Lucha! (Dignity! Unity! Struggle!) It
was very moving, and we couldn’t help but feel
his presence as we made our way around the
tomb in the center of the room.
We spent the afternoon at the Ministry
of Popular Power for Foreign Relations
(MPPRE), participating in an elections
assessment meeting with William Castillo,
the Vice Minister of International
Communication with the MPPRE, Edwin
Diaz, Secretary of the Vice Presidency
of International Relations of the United
Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Roy
Dana, Member of the International Relations
Commission of the PSUV, and Jacobo Torres,
a member of the National Constituent
Assembly. Their message to the international
observers was clear: there is a diplomatic,
media and economic war being waged against
Venezuela - a war that can be countered with
our eyewitness accounts of the May 20th
elections and the reality in Venezuela today.
At the meeting, we were also able to sign on
to an international declaration issued by those
who had observed the election, defending the
process as free, fair and legitimate. This was
especially important for us as we read the
Canadian government’s absolutely false and
inflammatory statement condemning the
Venezuelan elections.
As eyewitnesses to the elections, we can say
with certainty that the victory of Venezuelan
President Nicolas Maduro was anything but
“illegitimate.” President Maduro’s re-election
was transparent, free, and fair. In fact, the
Bolivarian revolutionary process has a proven
record of open and transparent elections,
even receiving recognition from former
US President Carter for having an election
process that is "the best in the world.”
For us, there is no question that the
governments of the United States, Canada,
the European Union and the mass media that
serves as their mouthpiece are lying about
not only the May 20th election, but also
about the reality of Venezuelan society today.
Caracas is a vibrant city, there are hardships,
but the people of Venezuela are committed
to building a country that is independent,
sovereign and free from the right-wing
counter-revolutionary violence. They are
working hard to defend their revolution, and
now we must return home and continue to do
our part to end the sanctions, threats and all
imperialist intervention in Venezuela.
Follow Thomas on Twitter:@thomasdavies59
Follow Mike on Twitter:@Mikael_L7
Follow Alison on Twitter: @Alisoncolette
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