Bulletin 54 | Five features of the political campaign

The ruling party relies mainly on communal councils, city and state governments, while the participating opposition relies on party structures. The second diary of the campaign notes how some candidates give away food portions, face masks, cooking gas, sports equipment, and electrical transformers

The political campaign for the 2020 parliamentary election has not aroused a great electoral atmosphere. This is clear from an observation study of the campaign carried out by the Venezuelan Observatory on Elections (OEV) together with its national observation network.

82.3 percent of the observers perceive some or little electoral atmosphere regarding the elections for the National Assembly on December 6, according to what they have observed, read, or heard among their acquaintances and people in general.

A 2020 election campaign assessment form was answered by 395 observers distributed in the 23 states of the country plus the Capital District.

The current campaign for more than 14,000 candidates running for a seat in the parliament began on November 3 and ends on December 3 at midnight. For this study, the observers followed the development of the first 15 days of the campaign. In our post-election report, we will expand on the results of the second part of the campaign, still in progress.

Based on these first results, we can identify five features of the 2020 electoral campaign, unprecedented for being the first in Venezuelan amid a pandemic, while the election remains unrecognized by the political opposition and sectors of the international community due to several reasons.

1 | The ruling party is at full campaign

Among a list of campaign activities that are usually organized by political parties and electoral alliances, the most common are the meetings of communal councils and communes of the Gran Polo Patriótico (Great Patriotic Pole, GPP): This was noted by 69.4 percent of observers across the country, followed by GPP meetings in public places, seen by 61.5 percent of them, and massive public events of the same electoral alliance with the participation of 100 people or more, registered by 47.9 percent of the observers.

The sector of opposition taking part in the elections has been seen by 27.9 percent of the observers holding meetings in public places, conducting house-to-house visits (20.5 percent), and celebrating massive public events of 100 people or more (13.7 percent).

Implicit in these results is a sum of the individual percentage of each political group plus the percentage of the “both” option, on the understanding that the latter also covers them.

Which of the following activities organized by the PSUV, its allied parties, and/or the particpating sector of the opposition have you observed? Source: OEV

The Special Regulation on this campaign, containing rules on social distancing and bio sanitary measures under the state of alarm due to the pandemic, establishes that the activities of the parties regarding public meetings and demonstrations, and, in general, any type of mass event, will be subject to the exceptional regime in force and that the observance and compliance with sanitary and biosafety protocols should be strict. However, the regulation also incorporates some “special conditions” referred to in article 15: “At the request of the party, the special conditions proposed by the political organizations may be evaluated, and the events that do not violate the current measures may be authorized”.

2 | The political campaign of the ruling party relies mainly on community councils, city and state governments

The majority of observers (69.4 percent) reported that community councils, city governments (59 percent), state governments (51.7 percent), and public employees (48.6 percent) are engaging in activities or electoral events in favor of the ruling coalition.

This is a practice that has been repeated since previous electoral processes, despite the national legal framework expressly prohibiting public officials and employees from expressing political-partisan biases of any kind in the exercise of their positions.

While 61.7 percent of observers have seen, heard, or read that the Gran Polo Patriótico has carried out electoral activities or events through their political parties, 33.9 percent have noted the same regarding parties or electoral alliances of the sector of the political opposition participating in this election. Among the category of “political parties”, the organizations from the opposition show the highest percentage of activities or electoral events.

How many of the following organizations have held an electoral activity or event? Source: OEV

3 | Government campaign advertising abounds in mass media

Eight out of ten observers have heard of, watched, or read about a form of campaign advertising on national or regional television; seven out of ten have received the type of messages typical of an electoral campaign through the radio, and six out of ten have watched a spot on digital media.

Campaign advertising on mass and social media. Source: OEV

When asked in which social platform they have heard, watched, or read a campaign advertisement, the answers show that 58 percent have watched it through Facebook and 51.1 percent have also received it through WhatsApp, consisting in both cases of pieces in favor of the ruling party. The same tendency is perceived through spots on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

The sector of the opposition that takes part in the election appears at a disadvantage in this category, too: 37.5 percent of observers have heard, watched, or read campaign advertisements from this political sector through Facebook and WhatsApp (32.1 percent). Also, observers have watched campaign advertisements of these groups on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, albeit in lower percentages.

On which platform have you listened to, watched, or read campaign advertisements? Source: OEV

If we refer to other places where the national network of the OEV has observed, heard, or read campaign advertisements, around half of the observers have verified the presence of messages of this type in favor of the ruling coalition in community centers, town halls, state government buildings, and public institutions.

Under the Constitution, all public officials are at the service of the State and not of any partiality. The Regulation of the Organic Law on Electoral Processes (LOPRE) establishes that public officials are prohibited from acting, in the exercise of public function, under their political preferences, in favor or to the detriment of any organization with political purposes, as well as using their position to electorally favor or harm a candidate.

4 | The ruling party hands out resources for electoral gains

Regarding the actions of public officials, more than half of the observers have seen, heard, or read that the mayor of their municipality has been in campaigning events with candidates of the Gran Polo Patriótico, or they have used their position to favor the ruling party.

Concerning the use of public social programs during the electoral campaign, 59 percent of observers have received, observed, heard, or read about the delivery of food by government proxies (The ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela and its allies), while 45 percent have learned of the delivery of medicines from the same groups.

Main subject of the campaigning in November. Source: OEV.

As for the special one-day programs carried out by the central, state, or city governments during the electoral campaign, between 32 and 47 percent of the observers have benefited from, observed, heard of, or read about garbage collection days, and cooking gas or water delivery by trucks provided by the ruling party. To a lesser extent, 19.5 percent of observers have known of the ruling party handing out firewood for cooking to potential voters, in a country with a deep crisis in access to domestic gas service.

5 | The CNE is encouraging participation

When consulting whether the observers have witnessed activities or actions of the central and/or regional National Electoral Council regarding the December 6 elections, more than 50 percent noted educational campaigns on how to vote, campaigns or statements encouraging people to vote, and educational campaigns for the biosecurity measures to be implemented on the election day.

Activities carried out by the CNE regarding the December 6 elections. Source: OEV.

Diary of a Campaign (and II): All kind of presents

In the same line of our previous bulletin, we now review the second set of notes related to the course of the electoral campaign during the second half of November. These are some general ideas on the process, collected at random, the product of the observation and monitoring of social networks and the media. They are based on evidence published by the actors themselves.

Day 14 (November 16)

The El Cambio party, led by Pastor Bertucci, reports that residents of Guárico state “have benefited from the humanitarian operations” of the party members, “who deliver hot meals, food items”, and provide personalized assistance. An investigation published by a media outlet in Lara state concluded that the “candidates are offering food for votes”, and some consulted sources expressed their rejection of being played with, amid a social crisis.

Day 15 (November 17)

From a press account belonging to the candidate for re-election to the National Assembly, José Noriega, to whom the Supreme Tribunal handed over the direction of the Voluntad Popular party (VP), it was stated that the party’s political and social commitment is advancing with “the plan of fumigation and other activities led” by the party’s youth team. Also, in a cultural and recreational activity in Sucre state, a group of minors without masks could be seen and, in the background, a team of party members wearing the traditional orange VP shirts without complying or enforcing physical distancing. On the other hand, there was a health conference in the Linares Alcántara municipality of Aragua state with the presence of the candidates from the ruling party.

Day 16 (November 18)

A candidate of the El Cambio party in the state of Falcón was spotted in pictures speaking without a mask to the residents of a community, who were not wearing a mask either. On the same day, the regional team of the ProCiudadanos party in Falcón state indicated that it “was conducting a day of prevention against covid-19 by giving out masks” to the community of a local evangelist church.

Day 17 (November 19)

In the morning, a demonstration of party members and candidates of the Alternativa Popular Revolucionaria party (Popular Revolutionary Alternative) took place outside the public TV network VTV “to denounce the censorship from the Ministry of Communication and Information” against their candidates. The group expressed in an open letter that “the air minutes allocated to the party in state media simply do not exist”, and demanded “that spaces be granted on equal terms to all the other electoral formulas different from those who negotiated at the dialogue table; and their candidates invited to the public debates”. In the evening, a second televised parliamentary debate was aired by Televen, in a joint broadcast with Venevisión, Globovisión, and Venezolana de Televisión. Again, two candidates from the Gran Polo Patriótico, this time Ilenia Media and Hermann Escarrá, together with María Verdial, from Movimiento al Socialismo party, and José Brito, from Primero Venezuela.

Day 18 (November 20)

In the state of Mérida, a candidate from the ruling party reported that he is providing more than 3,000 families from communities in the Rangel municipality with domestic gas; He can be seen carrying gas cylinders in an Instagram post. In Caracas, a televised meeting of the Gran Polo Patriótico took place. Maduro claimed that “a good campaign is being carried out”. He instructed the candidates to advance a communal parliament law and a law on communal cities, as well as create a “super commission” to investigate the “robbery” committed by Juan Guaidó and make a “public trial” of the members of the current parliament “who robbed the country.” An electoral political act with calls to vote for the candidates of the ruling party was broadcast in full on the public TV network VTV and public radio stations, ending with the sound of gaita music.

Day 19 (November 21)

This electoral campaign has also involved the deployment of billboards in public spaces by some political actors, mostly from the “VEN Vamos Juntos” (Come on, Let’s go together) campaign by the Gran Polo Patriótico. These billboards can be seen, for example, along the Central Regional Highway in the state of Aragua and along the Prados del Este highway and the Baruta municipality. Also in Baruta, Miranda state, billboards of Avanzada Progresista were observed carrying the message “Against bribery. Vote ”, and, to a lesser extent, from the Cambiemos party and Copei party, whose national directive was revoked by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice.

Day 20 (November 22)

In a televised address, the Head of State Nicolás Maduro read a report from the Ministry of Health on the situation of covid-19 to date. The official document mentions “the lack of compliance with preventive measures in the electoral campaign.” On the other hand, the ProCiudadanos party posted a picture and asked “how Bernabé Gutiérrez and the so-called mesita, get to pay for a private flight”.

Day 21 (November 23)

In Lara state, the Avanzada Progresista party reported that one of its candidates visited the Santa Rosa parish, in the state capital, “with the Plan Sancocho Avanzada Solidaria and house-to-house visits”, posting a picture of the residents drinking soup. That same day, on Twitter, Unicef Venezuela reiterated its message that “humanitarian aid that reaches Venezuela through agencies, civil society organizations, and other humanitarian actors should not be exploited for political purposes. Humanitarian aid is neutral, ”.

Day 22 (November 24)

As soon as visitors opened the website of the Acción Democrática party, whose new directive board was appointed by the TSJ, a registration form asked the user if they wanted to be contacted to receive a t-shirt and a cap. On the other hand, in Monagas state, a candidate from the ruling party “talked with the community about the role of humanity on earth”; addressing his audience from the ambo of a Catholic church, as seen in a video.

Day 23 (November 25)

Not only the candidates of the ruling party hand out supplies: on this day, a candidate of Voluntad Popular, a party intervened by the TSJ, reported the delivery of sports equipment in the San Casimiro municipality. In Carabobo, a video of a campaigning event led by Governor Rafael Lacava, in which a crowd is seen in a closed space without keeping any physical distance, went viral on social media.

Day 24 (November 26)

The regional coordinator of Primero Venezuela in Trujillo state, Waldo Santeliz, died tragically. The national leader of that organization, Luis Parra, said: “These events occur just days before the election, to cast doubts and fear.” On the other hand, the third parliamentary debate was held, broadcasted this time by Globovisión in joint transmission with the three main television channels in the country. Cilia Flores and Iris Varela participated on behalf of the Gran Polo Patriótico, together with Javier Bertucci, founder of the El Cambio party and former candidate in the disputed 2018 presidential elections, and Bernabé Gutiérrez, who was commissioned by the TSJ as the ad hoc director of the opposition party Acción Democrática. There will be a fourth and final debate on the last day of the campaign, on VTV.

Day 25 (November 27)

Televised speech of the head of state, Nicolás Maduro, in an “orientation and interaction session with the Network of Articulation and Sociopolitical Action (RAAS)”. In a live transmission of the public TV channel, he established a conversation “with the electoral machinery of the Gran Polo Patriótico across the country, to evaluate the key elements of the final stage of the campaign for the December 6 elections”. Meanwhile, Francisco Ameliach, first on the regional list for the ruling party in Lara state, tweeted: “Arriving in Lara with more electrical transformers for the people, we have already delivered 6 of them to different communities”, referring to a state that suffers frequent cuts of the electric service. In Caracas, the Alternativa Popular Revolucionaria party held a sit-in in front of Televen (a private TV station) to demand “an end to censorship” against the Communist Party in the campaign.

Day 26 (November 28)

As it was the last Saturday of the campaign, some parties chose to hold state campaign closings, with the presence of national leaders. Again, physical distancing was not always guaranteed.

Day 27 (November 29)

On radio stations in Caracas and on the main national television stations, it is usual to watch and hear some electoral advertisements as part of the air minutes allocated to the participating parties: some of the most popular pieces belong to the PSUV, Tupamaro, and ORA, for the ruling coalition, but the voice of Eduardo Fernández is also heard promoting Unión y Progreso, while Avanzada Progresista directs accusations against the government and Cambiemos broadcasts a musical message, to name a few of the spots watched or heard during this day.

The OEV maintains its commitment to democracy

A team of 400 OEV volunteers, distributed throughout the national territory, are ready to conduct an independent observation of the 2020 parliamentary election. In this way, the organization maintains its mission of promoting freedom, transparency, and reliability of suffrage for the development and protection of democracy in Venezuela.

The electoral observers are citizens who, grouped as a team and under strict impartiality, carry out an exhaustive, technically well-founded, and independent evaluation of the electoral processes.

In addition to following international codes of conduct based on respect for the legislation and the maintenance of strict impartiality, for this election, the national network of the OEV was aware of and committed to applying all the provisions of the “Sanitary Protocol for Election Observers”, drawn up by the organization regarding the first elections amid a pandemic in Venezuela.

The observers have been trained through digital platforms, in adaptation to this new normality, and they already have the proper bio sanitary protection equipment.

During this pre-electoral stage, the OEV has offered public opinion a series of analysis and research products, with the aim of giving voters the greatest possible amount of reliable, plural, and responsible information that enables them to form opinions and take conscious and informed decisions.

The “Sanitary Protocol for Election Observers” is a document containing the procedures and sanitary provisions that observers must follow before, during, and after Election Day. The objective of this manual is to provide recommendations to all those who carry out electoral observation work.