2021 Venezuelan regional elections

2021 Venezuelan regional elections
← 2017 21 November 2017 (2017-11-21) 2025 →
Turnout42.26% Decrease
 
Alliance GPPSB PUD AD
Popular vote 3,595,490 2,255,740 1,288,279
Percentage 40.22% Decrease 25.23%Decrease 14.41%Increase
Results by state.
Red denotes states won by the Great Patriotic Pole. Blue denotes those won by the Unitary Platform and the Democratic Alliance.
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Regional and municipal elections were held in Venezuela on 21 November 2021.[1] In the elections, all executive and legislative positions of the 23 federal entities, as well as that of the 335 municipalities of the country, were renewed.

The pro-government majority National Assembly repealed the Law of Regularization of State and Municipal Powers which prevented regional and municipal elections taking place simultaneously, allowing to convene joint elections of governors and mayors the same year. Afterwards, new rectors of the National Electoral Council (CNE) were appointed, the majority of members being pro-government.[2]

The census issued by the National Institute of Statistics and approved by the National Assembly, which influences the redesign of electoral districts, did not take into account the movements of millions of migrants leaving the country in recent years.[3] The CNE ratified that the indigenous vote for the elections would be of second degree, meaning that, as in the 2020 parliamentary elections, the members of the indigenous communities will not be able to directly elect the candidate of their choice, but must choose a delegate through "popular assemblies", which would be the ones to cast the vote.[4]

On 8 August, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) held primary elections to choose its candidates for the elections, during whose campaign important divisions and internal differences were evident in the ruling party, and politicians such as Elías Jaua and Francisco Arias Cárdenas were excluded from the process. During the primaries, irregularities and acts of violence took place in states such as Barinas and Zulia.[5][6][7] The PSUV vicepresident, Diosdado Cabello, declared that the fact that a candidate won the party's primaries did not mean that they would be the candidate for the elections.[8]

Despite initially opposing participation, on 31 August the opposition, under the Unitary Platform coalition, announced its intention to run in the elections and nominated candidates under the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) card, after three years without having done so, although considering that the elections "they will not be fair or conventional".[9][10]

On election day, violence was reported in the Zulia state, including a polling center where colectivos fired upon. In total two people were killed and others were injured.[11] The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed its concern about the reports.[12] The results announced that the ruling PSUV won governorships in at least 18 of the 23 states. The announced turnout was 42.2%.[13]

After politician Adolfo Superlano filed an appeal before the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ), the high court suspended the totalization of votes and the proclamation of the governor in the state of Barinas, when the CNE projections favored opposition candidate Freddy Superlano.[14][15] The TSJ disqualified Superlano and ordered the elections to be repeated.[16] A rerun was held in Barinas on 9 January which resulted as a win for the opposition candidate, Sergio Garrido, with 55.4% of the votes, while PSUV candidate Jorge Arreaza received 41.3%.[17] The victory of the opposition brought an end to 22 years of PSUV rule and was considered as a symbolic victory.[18]

The European Union Observation Mission concluded that the elections were marked by lack of judicial independence and rule of law, arbitrary electoral disqualifications and the use of state resources for campaigning, despite having a more balanced electoral arbiter and improvements compared to previous elections.[19] The Carter Center, which also observed the elections, concluded that the elections did not meet electoral international standards.[20]

  1. ^ "Las elecciones locales y regionales de Venezuela serán el 21 de noviembre". SWI swissinfo.ch (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  2. ^ Nacional, El (4 May 2021). "Conozca a los rectores del CNE designados por la AN electa en 2020". EL NACIONAL (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  3. ^ « AN aprobó la proyección poblacional del Instituto Nacional de Estadística por unanimidad y a petición del CNE, que requiere establecer la cantidad de habitantes en las circunscripciones electorales. que se estableció en 33.192.835 habitantes. mientras la Plataforma de Coordinación para Refugiados y Migrantes de Venezuela de Naciones Unidas (Acnur) contabilizó, para marzo de este año, que la cifra total de venezolanos que habían salido del territorio nacional superaba los 5.563.687. »"Asamblea Nacional aprobó proyección poblacional para el 21-N". Crónica Uno. 25 May 2021.
  4. ^ "CNE ratificó el voto indígena en segundo grado pese a reclamos". Correo del Caroní. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Las primarias del PSUV, la farsa que oculta los dedazos de Cabello y Maduro". abc (in Spanish). 28 June 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  6. ^ "A golpes y disparos se enfrentó el clan Chávez por candidatura del PSUV en Barinas". Monitoreamos (in Spanish). 10 July 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  7. ^ Nacional, El (8 August 2021). "Reportaron actos de violencia en Zulia por las primarias del PSUV". EL NACIONAL (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  8. ^ "El chavismo, de alardear de primarias democráticas a imponer candidatos". EFE. El Nacional. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  9. ^ Nacional, El (1 September 2021). "Vuelve la tarjeta de la MUD: Plataforma Unitaria anuncia que participará en las elecciones del 21N".
  10. ^ "La oposición de Venezuela participará en elecciones luego de tres años de boicot". France 24. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "ONU expresa preocupación frente a denuncias de violencia durante elecciones regionales en Venezuela". Voice of America (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Venezuela opposition says it must rebuild after electoral loss". www.aljazeera.com.
  14. ^ "¿Quién es Adolfo Superlano, el dirigente que interpuso el amparo que impide la proclamación del gobernador de Barinas?". El Nacional. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Freddy Superlano convocó a una marcha para el 4 de diciembre en Venezuela: "Yo soy el gobernador electo de Barinas"". Infobae. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  16. ^ "El Tribunal Supremo de Justicia de Venezuela ordena la repetición de las ajustadas elecciones en el estado de Barinas, tierra natal de Chávez" (in Spanish). BBC News Mundo.
  17. ^ "Opposition candidate wins in Venezuela's cradle of Chavismo". AP NEWS. 9 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  18. ^ Buitrago, Deisy; Armas, Mayela (11 January 2022). "Analysis: Venezuela opposition gains hope from win in ruling party stronghold". Reuters. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  19. ^ "La misión electoral de la UE constata las trampas del chavismo pese a un árbitro electoral "más equilibrado"". El Mundo (in Spanish). 23 November 2021. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Centro Carter concluye que elecciones venezolanas no cumplieron estándares internacionales". Radio y Televisión Martí (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.