Popular Democratic Front demands vote count and end to repression

 Tribuna Popular – This Monday, August 12, a group of political, social and workers’ organizations announced the constitution of the Popular Democratic Front; an initiative in defense of constitutional rights and guarantees, which arises after the serious political crisis left by the electoral process of last July 28.

 The Popular Democratic Front is promoted by the Other Campaign platform, the Communist Party of Venezuela, the Centrados en la Gente party, Antiimperialist Voices, the Popular Alternative Movement, the Popular Historic Block, the National Struggle Front of the Working Class, the EnComún collective and the PPT-APR.

 It is «an open effort in the process of construction», its spokespersons explained at a press conference.

 In a document presented to the public, they specified that their actions «are based on the unrestricted defense of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; its charter of human rights; its guarantees for the exercise of self-determination and national sovereignty; its economic model that seeks a fair distribution of wealth; and its political model, deeply democratic, which stimulates the participation and protagonism of the people».

 In the text, the promoters of this new space affirmed that «there are different facts that generate reasonable doubts about the official result of the presidential election».

 The adherents called attention to «the failure to carry out three audits after the voting act, among them, the Telecommunications audit, scheduled for July 29» and which, if it had been carried out in due time, «would have allowed to clarify doubts about the alleged computer attack», denounced by the National Electoral Council (CNE).

 In the statement, they assured that the organizations that are part of this front, were able to confirm «in polling stations of different territories of the country, where Chavismo was the majority in the recent past, the defeat of President Maduro».

 Furthermore, they affirmed that a proof of this defeat was «the massive, popular and spontaneous mobilization of indignation for the announced results, which took place in cities and towns of the country».

 The Popular Democratic Front expressed its concern for the electoral contentious appeal, introduced by President Maduro before the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ).

«We warn about the risk that the judicialization of the electoral process aims at overriding the responsibility of the Electoral Power and we categorically reject the possibility that the TSJ makes a proclamation without the audits being complied with all the boxes being opened, the data being published table by table», they added.

The activists rejected the repression against popular mobilizations and denounced the criminalization processes executed by the Government.

«It is evident that the indignation generated in the popular sectors by the official announcement of the results of the presidential election will not disappear because of the repression, but on the contrary, this new form of violence against the demonstrators will fuel the anger and delegitimize even more the criminal justice system and the State in general», they explained.

Attached below is the full statement of the Popular Democratic Front.

 DECLARATION OF THE POPULAR DEMOCRATIC FRONT

 United for truth, the Constitution, popular sovereignty and human rights

 We, militants of movements, social and political organizations with different mandates, approaches and ideologies; committed to social justice, democracy and human rights, have decided to unite in a Popular Democratic Front (FREDEPO) ─that is open and in the process of construction─, with the objective of contributing to overcome the serious crisis that our country is going through.

 Our actions are based on the unrestricted defense of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; its charter of human rights; its guarantees for the exercise of self-determination and national sovereignty; its economic model that seeks a fair distribution of wealth; and its political model, deeply democratic, which stimulates the participation and leading role of the people. We address the Venezuelan people and the world, at this critical moment for our homeland, pointing out the following:

1. There are several facts that generate reasonable doubts about the official result of the presidential election held on July 28, 2024, announced by the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Elvis Amoroso, as follows:

a) the announcement of the award of victory to candidate Nicolás Maduro, without the presence of all the principal rectors of the CNE, nor the previous tallying process in the presence of the respective witnesses of the presidential candidates and of the participating political organizations; b) the denunciation by Rector Amoroso of an alleged «hacking» that interrupted the transmission of the tally sheets to the tallying room; c) the failure to carry out three audits after the voting, among them, the «Telecommunications Phase II» audit, scheduled for July 29, which would have allowed to clarify doubts about the alleged computer attack; d) two of the opposition candidates denounce that the electoral receipts in their possession show a different result from the one announced by Rector Amoroso; e) several of the organizations that are part of this Front confirmed the defeat of President Maduro on July 28 at polling stations in different territories of the country where Chavismo was the majority in the recent past; f) two weeks after the election was held ─alleging another alleged attack against its website─, the CNE has not published the results broken down table by table, as has been the custom for almost 20 years in the country; thus preventing citizen verification. g) the offices of the CNE headquarters remain closed, so it is not possible to make requests and claims to that entity and, contrary to what its president announced, the data disaggregated by polling stations and voting centers have not been delivered to presidential candidates, organizations with political purposes, media, universities, social organizations, etc. h) the massive, popular and spontaneous mobilization of indignation about the announced results that took place in cities and towns of the country, as can be evidenced in hundreds of videos that circulated through social networks, as well as in our own experience.

For all these reasons, we have legitimate doubts about the officially announced results.

2. By virtue of the above, FREDEPO demands that the CNE comply with its legal obligations and immediately publish the results broken down table by table, and that in view of the days elapsed, proceed to open the electoral boxes so that they can be audited by the citizenry and the participating political organizations; and vote by vote is counted to guarantee that the results faithfully reflect the will of the people. The peace of the Republic depends on this demand at this moment.

3. FREDEPO observes with concern the contentious electoral appeal introduced by President Maduro before the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) and we warn that the process carried out so far, besides violating the due process and the right to defense, does not correspond to what is established in the law for this procedural figure. We warn about the risk that the judicialization of the electoral process may aim at reducing the responsibility of the Electoral Power and we categorically reject the possibility that the TSJ may make a proclamation without complying with the audits, the opening of all the boxes, the publication of the data table by table and the minutes; all of which corresponds to the Electoral Power.

It is also worrying that on July 28, from the official social networks of the TSJ, the Head of State Nicolás Maduro was congratulated for his reelection, advancing an opinion on a matter that is for them to decide today. Such fact implies that the magistrates of that Chamber are involved in a cause for recusal, which could vitiate the process carried out by the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice with nullity.

4. The legitimate popular mobilization of July 29 and 30, which was put down through the violence of the police and military forces together with para-police gangs (wrongly called «colectivos»), has left at least 24 people murdered, as denounced by human rights organizations. The high Government and the Attorney General have coincided in a criminalizing and hateful discourse on the demonstrators, pointing them out as «terrorists», «drug addicts», «delinquents», «trained abroad». President Maduro affirmed that the Public Prosecutor’s Office has charged 2,229 arrested demonstrators as «terrorists». Several of the organizations that are part of this Front have been able to verify that these people ─the vast majority of them, young people coming from poorer sectors─ are presented in terrorism courts under collective processes without being allowed access to a private defense.

President Maduro has asked the population, through the Ven App, to anonymously denounce protesters in their communities; the same happens in workplaces of the Public Administration. It is evident that the indignation generated in the popular sectors by the official announcement of the results of the presidential election will not disappear due to repression, but on the contrary, this new form of violence against demonstrators will fuel anger and further delegitimize the criminal justice system and the State in general.

The massive violence against the popular sectors is accompanied by permanent threats, incitement to hatred and the execution of practices of selective violence against different sectors of the political opposition, social organizations, trade unionists, journalists, military, as well as prosecutors of the Public Ministry and public defenders who refuse to violate the Constitution. Arbitrary arrests and incommunicado detentions of social activists and political leaders have become daily news these last two weeks.

Therefore, FREDEPO demands the Ombudsman’s Office to accompany the young people who are being unjustly prosecuted; to investigate the situation of their conditions of confinement; to investigate the patterns of institutional violence that are being denounced and to act to prevent and promote their sanction.

We also demand that the National Executive and the Public Prosecutor’s Office refrain from continuing to repress the people, whether through arms or unfounded accusations. It is with dialogue, justice and respect for the truth and the rights of the majority that we will be able to overcome this crisis in peace.

FREDEPO condemns the expressions of hatred and violence against PSUV militants that have left at least two dead, as well as houses of that party and public property destroyed. We express our solidarity with the victims, their families and their fellow militants, as such displays of hatred only contribute to the climate of polarization and intolerance.

At this time the unity of the people is our greatest strength. FREDEPO strongly questions foreign interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela and appreciates the international expressions of solidarity with the Venezuelan people and its demand for the official presentation of the electoral records, their legal verification with witnesses from candidates and political organizations. It is the Venezuelan people, in full exercise of their sovereignty, who must define their collective destiny.

7. Finally, FREDEPO invites all citizens to remain mobilized in defense of their political rights, investigating the results in their voting centers, comparing them with the results of other nearby areas and with the historical electoral behavior of those centers. We also urge to hold popular assemblies to discuss the problems we have raised here and seek collective solutions. Let every voice count. The triumph of the popular will and the rescue of the Constitution and our rights will depend on our capacity to demand, organize and mobilize.
   
   Respect for the will of the majorities expressed in the presidential election of July 28!

Stop police, military and parapolice repression!

Freedom for those unjustly detained, charged and tried under false accusations!

Signed: The Other Campaign, Communist Party of Venezuela, Centrados en la Gente, Antiimperialist Voices, Popular Alternative Movement, Popular Historic Block, National Struggle Front for the Working Class, EnComún, PPT-APR.

 Frente Democrático Popular exige conteo de votos y alto a la represión

 Tribuna Popular.- Este lunes 12 de agosto, un grupo de organizaciones políticas, sociales y de trabajadores anunciaron la constitución del Frente Democrático Popular; una iniciativa en defensa de los derechos y garantías constitucionales, que surge tras la grave crisis política que ha dejado el proceso electoral del pasado 28 de julio.

 El Frente Democrático Popular es impulsado por la plataforma La Otra Campaña, el Partido Comunista de Venezuela, el partido Centrados en la Gente, Voces Antiimperialistas, el Movimiento Popular Alternativo, el Bloque Histórico Popular, el Frente Nacional de Lucha de la Clase Trabajadora, el colectivo EnComún y el PPT-APR.

 Se trata de «un esfuerzo abierto y en proceso de construcción», explicaron en rueda de prensa sus voceros.

 En un documento presentado a la opinión pública, especificaron que su accionar «parte de la defensa irrestricta de la Constitución de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela; su carta de derechos humanos; sus garantías para el ejercicio de la autodeterminación y la soberanía nacional; su modelo económico que busca una justa distribución de la riqueza; y su modelo político, profundamente democrático, que estimula la participación y el protagonismo del pueblo».

 En el texto, los impulsores de este nuevo espacio afirmaron que «existen distintos hechos que generan dudas razonables sobre el resultado oficial de la elección presidencial».

 Los adherentes llamaron la atención sobre «la no realización de tres auditorías posteriores al acto de votación, entre ellas, la de Telecomunicaciones, prevista para el 29 de julio» y que de haberse realizado oportunamente, «hubiese permitido aclarar dudas sobre el presunto ataque informático», denunciado por el Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE).

 En la declaración, aseguraron que las organizaciones que forman parte de este frente, pudieron constatar «en mesas electorales de distintos territorios del país, en donde el chavismo fue mayoría en el pasado reciente, la derrota del presidente Maduro».

 Además, afirmaron que una prueba de esta derrota fue «la masiva, popular y espontanea movilización de indignación por los resultados anunciados, que se produjo en ciudades y pueblos del país».

 El Frente Democrático Popular expresó su preocupación por el recurso contencioso electoral, introducido por el Presidente Maduro ante la Sala Electoral del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ).

 «Alertamos sobre el riesgo de que la judicialización del proceso electoral apunte a reducir la responsabilidad del Poder Electoral y rechazamos tajantemente la posibilidad de que el TSJ realice una proclamación sin que se cumplan las auditorías, se abran todas las cajas, se publiquen los datos mesas por mesa», agregaron.

 Los activistas rechazaron la represión contra las movilizaciones populares y denunciaron los procesos de criminalización que ejecuta el Gobierno.

 «Es evidente que la indignación que generó en los sectores populares el anuncio oficial de resultados de la elección presidencial no va a desaparecer por la represión, sino que por el contrario, esta nueva forma de violencia sobre los manifestantes, atizará la ira y deslegitimará aún más al sistema de justicia penal y al Estado en general», explicaron.

 A continuación, adjuntamos declaración completa del Frente Democrático Popular

 Frente Democrático Popular exige conteo de votos y alto a la represión