Wilmar Omar Barrientos, the Venezuelan Ambassador to Cairo, reaffirmed his country's unwavering support for the Palestinian people during these challenging times, particularly concerning the difficult situation in Gaza.
He emphasized the Palestinians' legitimate right to an independent state, drawing a parallel between the international silence on Gaza and the similar stance towards Venezuela due to its rejection of terrorism.
This statement was made during a press conference held at the Venezuelan Embassy, marking the announcement of the presidential election results in Venezuela. Speaking to journalists, Ambassador Barrientos highlighted the following key points:
"I deeply appreciate your presence today and take this opportunity to provide relevant information about the recent events related to the situation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, following the presidential elections held on July 28, 2024."
"This election marks the 31st electoral event in 25 years of the Bolivarian Revolution. Once again, our authorities, security forces, political actors, observers, and the general public have demonstrated to the world that our country lives under a participatory and pioneering democracy, supported by strong institutions."
The Ambassador noted that the electoral process was conducted peacefully and with broad participation, despite systematic attacks from both internal and external sectors.
These attacks aimed to undermine the credibility and reliability of the Venezuelan voting system, which is fully automated, secure, and auditable at all stages.
He also criticized the biased narratives promoted by major media outlets, which sought to delegitimize Venezuela's historic commitment to resolving differences through dialogue and voting.
In accordance with the constitutional mandate and following a dialogue process with opposition sectors, the National Electoral Council (CNE) set July 28 as the date for the presidential elections, approving the electoral timetable developed since its announcement on March 5, 2024.
According to Venezuelan law, 21,620,705 voters were invited to participate, including 69,211 citizens authorized to vote abroad, such as in the Arab Republic of Egypt. A total of 15,797 polling stations and 30,026 voting tables were activated.
As has been the case in all elections over the past 25 years, the parties agreed on an audit plan to ensure the full transparency, reliability, and security of the automated electoral system.
Representatives from all participating political forces, national observers, and many international observers attended these events.
At the conclusion of each verification process, all participants and electoral authorities signed a report confirming the smooth conduct of the process. For this election, the candidates and electoral bodies agreed on a total of 17 verification processes.
Regarding voting abroad, the CNE approved voting instructions for diplomatic or consular missions with 10 or fewer voters and different procedures for missions with more than 10 voters.
To ensure the right of Venezuelan citizens residing in the Arab Republic of Egypt to vote, the elections were held at our diplomatic mission, designated as a polling station by the National Electoral Council.
To ensure extensive media coverage, 1,326 local and international journalists were accredited. This figure includes 164 special envoys from 76 foreign media outlets, such as the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse (AFP), EFE, Bloomberg, and Reuters. Additionally, 1,056 media personnel from 33 national public and private media outlets were accredited.
To safeguard strategic polling centers and materials, as well as protect voters and other participating staff, the "Republic Plan" was activated nationwide on July 24, 2024, involving over 380,000 members of the Bolivarian National Forces and other security and civil protection organizations, as historically customary and in accordance with applicable regulations.
The election day, which saw Nicolás Maduro Moros elected for the 2025-2030 presidential term, was characterized by its peaceful and civic nature. The elections were supervised by the National Electoral Council, an independent body as per the constitution, overseeing Venezuela's electoral process. The presidential elections were monitored by both local and international observers and fully complied with the legal and regulatory provisions governing electoral processes in Venezuela.
Before the election, the National Electoral Council assured that the country had a robust automated platform that guarantees the principle of "one voter, one vote." The state of Venezuela provided full assurance that voting would be conducted swiftly and accurately, ensuring that the vote would reflect the will of the people in electing the next President of the Republic for all Venezuelans.
Ten candidates and 37 political parties officially registered with the electoral body participated in the election race. The National Electoral Council reported a voter turnout of 59.87%.
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