(Bloomberg) — The Carter Center will deploy a team to observe elections in Venezuela next month after the exclusion of observers from the European Union raised concerns about the legitimacy of the results.
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The Atlanta-based organization on Wednesday accepted an invitation extended by Venezuela’s election authority in March, said Jennie Lincoln, its chief adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean.
President Nicolás Maduro is seeking a third consecutive term in the July 28 elections after the government banned his biggest rival. Maria Corina Machado, from running. The country said in May it would ban EU observers after the group refused to lift all sanctions on government officials.
The governments of Colombia and Brazil later said they would also not send missions to monitor the vote.
The National Electoral Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The opposition has sought credible international observers as previous Venezuelan elections were marred by allegations of fraud and government interference. After Machado was sidelined, the group nominated Edmundo González Urrutia, a relatively unknown former diplomat, who has campaigned in her place.
Government repression
The Maduro government’s repression has increased in the days leading up to the official start of the campaign on July 4. The government recently arrested four activists and journalists linked to the opposition and barred several mayors from provincial towns where the opposition has gathered.
The Carter Center last monitored Venezuela’s 2021 regional elections, after which it found evidence of political interference at the electoral council and concluded that the vote did not meet basic international standards for democratic elections.
The nonprofit Carter Center, founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, monitors elections around the world, along with other efforts such as fighting disease.
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