Interview with Mercosur Election Observer: “Clean, Transparent, and Democratic”

Francisco Gutierrez, is an Argentine Congressional Representative, a representative of Mercosur, and was an International Election Observer during last Sunday’s presidential elections.  He spoke briefly with Venezuelanalysis at the Liceo Andres Bello voting center in the eastern Caracas Municipality of Chacao, just as polls were closing on Election Day.

Gutierrez and his international observer team were explained the intricacies of the Venezuelan electoral system and spent election day traveling across Caracas, from the poor neighborhoods, such as 23 de Enero, to the opposition stronghold of Chacao. 

How have you seen this process during this electoral day?

Until now, it’s been normal.  We’ve visited various schools, various voting centers, in the periphery as well as here in the center of Caracas.  Everywhere we have spoken as much with the official party as well as the part of the opposition.  Everyone has said that it has been a clean, transparent and democratic scenario.  There hasn’t been even one inconvenience anywhere, so it’s a democratic fiesta, and the people now have their destiny and their decision in their hands.  We hope that the electoral results, ratify the democratic process in Venezuela, and that Venezuela continues to advance towards the integration of Latin America, towards the integration of Mercosur, and that Latin America continues to grow so that it is a continent with the level of conditions of debate with it’s economic incorporation on a global level and for our own destiny.

Speaking of participation.  What have you seen?  and how does it compare to Argentina?

For me the popular participation has been really high.  There’s a lot of happiness, they really want to vote.  You can note that there’s a strong debate for the model of the country, and for the project of the country and the future.  It’s clear that there’s a strong party activism from everyone, to achieve victory, and that’s very beautiful, agreeable, very good.

We hope that it’s like this, in the sense of the fiesta, but that the debate becomes richer, and that the debate has a synthesis for a national project in Venezuela and for the integration of Latin America.

Anything else to add?          

Only that we have spoken with the authorities as well as with the National Electoral Council (CNE), as well as the authorities of the government and also of the opposition, and everyone coincides that the process has been absolutely clean, transparent, and that the result of the fiesta continues, that it doesn’t get stuck with any sectarian situations.