BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Brazil has dropped out of an international mission to observe Venezuela’s parliamentary election in December because President Nicolas Maduro’s government barred a former Brazilian Supreme Court chief justice from heading the team.
Brazil’s top electoral authority yesterday said Venezuela had refused its choice of Nelson Jobim, a former minister in two governments, to head the observer mission of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) despite wide support from the 12 member nations.
The announcement is a blow to Maduro, who has benefited from the diplomatic support of regional heavyweight Brazil at delicate moments including his contested 2013 election and a 2014 wave of opposition protests.
The Dec. 6 parliament vote is seen as one of the most difficult for the ruling Socialist Party as the OPEC member struggles with runaway inflation and a shrinking economy.
Brazil’s Supreme Electoral Court, or TSE, said it had sought to observe conditions before the election to ensure a level playing field, but Venezuela’s authorities had hindered access to an audit of its electronic voting system.
“For these reasons, the TSE decided not to participate in the UNASUR mission,” the electoral body said in a statement. Venezuela has in recent years reduced the role of foreign electoral observers, instead receiving scaled-back “accompaniment” missions that have had less access to data.
