Political effervescence in Venezuela days before elections: opposition denounces problems in the accreditation of witnesses, putting electoral transparency at risk.

The political environment in Venezuela is in turmoil just a few days before the presidential elections. The opposition led by Edmundo González Urrutia has denounced problems with the accreditation of polling station witnesses, raising concerns about the transparency of the electoral process. According to former deputy Solórzano, the National Electoral Council (CNE) has implemented mechanisms to slow down the accreditation of these witnesses, jeopardizing the monitoring of the vote next Sunday. The opposition has expressed its commitment to safeguarding the votes and ensuring the transparency of the electoral process. However, the lack of accreditation for the necessary witnesses to represent González Urrutia at polling stations has created uncertainty regarding the proper supervision of the elections. Perkins Rocha, campaign advisor for the Democratic Unity Platform, emphasized the importance of witnesses as guarantors of transparency and the legitimacy of the electoral process. Juan Carlos Caldera, a leader of Primero Justicia, pointed out that the accreditation of witnesses should have been resolved prior to the start of the electoral process. He lamented that, despite having 99% of the witnesses loaded into the system, the opposition has not been able to complete the necessary accreditation. This situation has raised concerns among opposition leadership and organized citizens. Journalist Jesús Abreu Mena, from El Pitazo, reported that the opposition alliance has managed to accredit 19,536 main witnesses, but still needs over 10,000 more to achieve full coverage of the 30,000 polling stations. This difficulty in accrediting witnesses contrasts with the apparent normality in the official party's process, raising suspicions of a possible intention to obstruct the opposition's monitoring efforts. In response to this situation, political analyst Ángel Medina Devis has expressed that the July 28 election does not appear to be a competitive and free process, due to the various obstacles and abuses the opposition has faced during the electoral campaign. Medina emphasized the importance of having witnesses at each polling station as a guarantee of transparency and defense of the popular will. It is crucial to highlight that the pressure exerted by the opposition and organized citizens could lead the CNE to ensure the accreditation of all necessary witnesses for the proper development of the elections. The massive and effective participation of citizens next Sunday is key to ensuring the defense of votes and the will of the people. The opposition's strategy also includes citizen participation outside polling stations, with the aim of accompanying and monitoring the entire electoral process. In this context, citizen verification plays a crucial role in safeguarding electoral transparency. Electoral law and the CNE's regulations guarantee every voter the right to witness the scrutiny at their polling station, as well as the vote count and the generation of the minutes. Active participation of citizens in this citizen verification process will be essential to strengthen confidence in the electoral results and ensure the legitimacy of the democratic process in Venezuela.