American NGO, Republican Senator Among Those Condemning Venezuelan Election as Fraudulent

The Carter Center, an Atlanta-based nongovernmental organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, said Venezuela’s election “cannot be considered democratic.”

The Details: The organization was invited to monitor the election by Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE), a council BBC News (Center bias) described as “dominated by government allies.” The Carter Center also criticized Venezuelan authorities for a “complete lack of transparency.”

For Context: Incumbent Socialist Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was first elected in 2013, was declared the winner, while the opposition Democratic Unitary Platform party has claimed the election was fraudulent. The Carter Center had previously been complimentary of Venezuela’s electoral system.

Key Quotes: Opposition leader María Corina Machado claimed the opposition won over 84% of the vote and said, “The only thing we are willing to negotiate is the peaceful transition.” Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) echoed the Venezuelan opposition’s sentiments and said opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González “must be immediately recognized as president-elect by the Biden-Harris administration.” 

How The Media Covered It: As is common with international stories, the story was more widely covered by the left and center. Several outlets, like The Washington Times (Lean Right bias) and The New York Post (Lean Right bias) republished AP’s (Lean Left bias) article.