HomeNewsBriefThe Big Winner in Venezuela Elections? Organized Crime
BRIEF

The Big Winner in Venezuela Elections? Organized Crime

COLOMBIA / 16 OCT 2017 BY VENEZUELA INVESTIGATIVE UNIT EN

Venezuela's ruling party has reportedly won a majority of governorships throughout the country in a recent election that was denounced as fradulent by opposition groups. But the real winner of the controversial vote seems to be organized crime, as the current administration has both supported and received support from criminal elements to which it is closely tied.

President Nicolás Maduro's ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela - PSUV) won 17 of 23 state governorships on October 15, Venezuela's National Electoral Council announced.

The opposition alliance known as the Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mesa de Unidad Democrática - MUD) claimed widespread fraud in the latest electoral process and rejected the results. MUD spokesperson Gerardo Blyde called on Venezuelans to take to the streets once again after months of successive anti-government protests from that have left at least 125 dead.

Independent experts also cast doubt the government-reported election results. David Smilde, a senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), wrote in a blog post that the reported tally "strains credulity."

"Indeed, for this result to be correct, the same pollsters that accurately predicted turnout, completely missed voter intention. Hard to believe," he added.

Several media outlets reported irregularities in the voting process, including official candidates campaigning until the closing of the polls; last-minute decisions to move hundreds of offices to new locations, allegedly for security reasons; and hundreds of thousands of electors being registered in new polling offices without sufficient notice.

Reports also surfaced of the army standing by as electors were coerced into voting for the PSUV by "colectivos," a term that refers to militant groups supportive of Maduro's government, many of which are well-armed and deeply involved in crime.

InSight Crime Analysis

Many critics of the Maduro government believe that the suspicious results of the gubernatorial elections were intended to consolidate the power of the president's PSUV party at the national level. There has been speculation that the questionable outcome could feed into pressure for further sanctions by international actors, but past sanctions have had little impact on the Maduro administration's continued survival. 

It is likely that as long as Maduro and his allies continue to hold power, so too will the criminal elements with ties to the government. A number of high-ranking officials have been accused of various crimes, including involvement in drug trafficking with the help of corrupted members of the military known as the Cartel of the Suns. And recent reports indicate that colectivos continue to act with impunity, engaging not only in political intimidation but also in a whole range of other criminal activities.

SEE ALSO: Venezuela News and Profiles

The country's deteriorating economic and security conditions have been pushing many Venezuelans to flee the country, providing crime groups around the region with an influx of cheap labor as well as fueling contraband and human smuggling. This dynamic is perhaps most visible on the Colombian border. The sheer flux of individuals crossing over either to buy goods or to migrate has spurred significant smuggling and extortion opportunities, while the lucrative trade in contraband gasoline is also booming, a recent El País investigation showed.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COLOMBIA / 22 JUN 2022

The ELN have stated their will to engage in peace talks with the upcoming administration of Colombia's president-elect Gustavo Petro,…

COLOMBIA / 1 JUL 2022

Colombian police uncovered a sex ring featuring underage migrants from Venezuela. Why does sex trafficking flourish in border areas?…

BOLIVIA / 23 SEP 2022

As world leaders met for the United Nations General Assembly, Latin American presidents expressed various concerns about organized crime.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…