By Kouthar Sambo
Political tension is on the rise in Venezuela after President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner of the election. This comes after Venezuela’s electoral center said Maduro won 51.2% of the vote, compared with 44.2% for rival Edmundo González.
Speaking on VOC’s PM Drive show on Monday, a political analyst, Ashraf Patel, said the situation is massive since Venezuela is a front-line state following the Cold War with the US. He added the response is no surprise as the electoral stakes are high, resulting in highly contested elections.
“What is playing out is the electoral stakes being high in terms of the outcome, so a lot of money is being invested in the elections, like South Africa, so the response is not surprising as the world is now seeing contested elections because 51.2% is a razor-thin margin,” remarked González.
Over 15 South African election observers witnessed the election process in Venezuela and condemned allegations of fraud, followed by media reports. This comes as the claims are found to lack sound grounds.
“No matter who the people of Venezuela vote for in these elections (the incumbent President, Nicolas Maduro, or one of the other candidates), the fact is that international election observers, that include South Africans, have witnessed a free and fair process.”
“The people of Venezuela, like all other sovereign nations, have the right to elect whomever they so wish without outside interference,” expressed the South African Election Observers in a joint statement.
Furthermore, Patel explained the geo-political dynamics:
“The situation is very fractured but I think the reason why the US is vested in Venezuela and Brazil, for instance, is because it falls within the Western hemisphere, which is their first line, and they ensure they dominate in that sphere.”
“Because it is a globalized world, the US would also have other front-line states like Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines and Asia – this is seen as a geopolitical chess board,” he added.
Photo: Sourced
