The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is dismayed that the defeated opposition parties in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela are disputing the election results announced by the National Electoral Council declaring the incumbent, President Nicolas Madura, the winner having garnered 51% of the vote in a hard-won campaign.
COSATU General Secretary Solly Phetoe is part of more than 15 South African election observers on the ground in Caracas, as part of a total of 910 observers from more than 95 countries. The group arrived in the Latin American country last week to oversee the presidential election that took place on Sunday, 28 July.
The observers belong to, among others, the ANC, SACP, COSATU, CONTRALESA, SASUVE, Royal House of Mandela and Abahlali Basemjondolo. They were invited and hosted by their relevant counterparts such as the Governing party of Venezuela, the Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV).
The international observers, including the South Africans, witnessed a fair and free electoral process and as such the contention by the leader of the opposition that he won more than 70% of the vote comes as a complete surprise.
COSATU condemns the flagrant disrespect of the will of the Venezuelan people and joins the South African Election Observers in swiftly dispelling the allegations of a fraudulent electoral process in Venezuela. Like all other sovereign nations, Venezuelans have the right to elect whomever they wish without interference.
The observers, including several African nations, experienced first-hand the pre-elections environment which allowed for unrestricted campaigning, and witnessed a peaceful the election day where all political parties and citizens could engage and move freely.
For the stated reasons and more, COSATU congratulates the people of Venezuela for freely electing President Nicolas Madura his third six-year term in office.
The attempts to undermine the will of the Venezuelan people and their right to self-determination are not new but part of a pattern of naked neo-colonial attempts to overthrow its legitimate and democratic aspirations to set its own path.
COSATU and the broader liberation movement across South Africa stands in revolutionary solidarity with the heroic Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. We will not stand silent whilst thee forces of hegemony and aggression seek to bully and cajole the South and any nation that adopts a path of socialism and non-alignments.
Issued by COSATU
For more information, please contact:
Solly Phetoe(COSATU General Secretary)
Mobile: 082 304 4055
Or
Zanele Sabela(COSATU National Spokesperson)
Mobile:079 287 5788
Email: zanele@cosatu.org.za