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UNASUR mission to oversee Venezuela's parliamentary elections

Xinhua, November 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

A delegation from the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) will oversee Venezuela's upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for Dec. 6 to guarantee fair results.

"We're here to make sure that these elections turn out good and Venezuela's democracy comes out strengthened," UNASUR Secretary-General Ernesto Samper said.

He said the delegation will be made up of 50 experts in electoral matters belonging to "independent" organizations.

Leonel Fernandez, former president of the Dominican Republic, who will head the UNASUR mission, expressed his satisfaction about being present in Venezuela to guarantee "transparent" elections on Dec. 6.

"The Venezuelan authorities should guarantee that the elections take place with impartiality and objectivity and we can examine the results. The voting should be transparent, which will accord with the people's will," Fernandez said.

"We're grateful for the cooperation we've had with UNASUR since 2012 for electoral processes," said Tibisay Lucena, president of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro also met with the UNASUR delegation later in the day and thanked its support for the South American nation's democracy.

On Dec. 6, more than 19 million Venezuelans will elect 167 new lawmakers for a five-year parliamentary mandate, in a voting that many analysts believe the opposition can win because of the country's economic woes and shortages. Endi