Presidential elections were held in Venezuela on July 28, 2024. Challenging President Nicolas Maduro for reelection was Edmundo Gonzalez, the united opposition candidate. Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves, and in the 2000s, under President Hugo Chávez, the country succeeded in significantly reducing poverty. Maduro has largely carried on the policies of Chávez, who died in office in 2013, but the collapse in oil prices and the U.S.economic sanctionsVenezuela's economy stagnated due to factors such aseconomic crisishave been faced with.

On July 29, Venezuela's electoral commission said Maduro received 51.2% of the vote and Gonzalez 44.2%.announcementThe result of the election was disputed both at home and abroad, as allegations of fraud by the administration surfaced. However, allegations of fraud by the administration surfaced in response to this announcement, and the results were disputed both domestically and internationally. Demonstrations both against and in support of the government occurred, and the situation has not calmed down even a month after the elections were held.

It is not always clear which claims are credible, and there is a lot of uncertain information flying around from various parties and third parties that is difficult to confirm. How have the Japanese media reported on these elections in Venezuela and how have they perceived the uncertainty surrounding the elections? This article explores coverage of the Venezuelan election and coverage of similar elections.

Election rally in Venezuela (2024) (Photo:Confidencial / Wikimedia Commons[.CC BY 3.0])

Problems with Election Reporting

The Japanese media coverage of the 2024 Venezuelan elections reads as if the outcome is clear, despite the confusion and uncertainty on the ground. Some Japanese news reports have been writing about the expected victory of Gonzalez's united opposition candidate and government fraud even before the Venezuelan elections are held. For example, even before the election was held, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported, "Although several polls show Gonzalez with a substantial lead, there are concerns about electoral fraud and post-election confusion."reportedThe following is a list of the most common problems with theAsahi (newspaper), ,Mainichi Newspapersalso expressed the same view.

Even after the election was held, the Asahi Shimbun also reported that "exit polls on the day of the election showed the opposition candidate ... with a substantial lead.reportThe Mainichi Shimbun did the same. The Mainichi Shimbun similarly "results" of "exit polls" in the same way.referenceThe Asahi Shimbun reported that "the opposition camp collected the tally sheets of 80% of the polling stations nationwide and published the results for each station on its website. Elsewhere, the Asahi Shimbun reported that "the opposition camp independently collected tally sheets from 80% of the polling stations across the country and published the results for each polling station on its website," claiming that the opposition party received 67% of the votes according to thereportIn addition, the Yomiuri Shimbun (*1) and the In addition, the Yomiuri Shimbun (*1) andNihon Keizai Shimbunand others took a critical look at Venezuela's Supreme Court's August 22 decision to follow up on the election results, pointing out that the Court is under Maduro's influence.

However, there are multiple problems with these claims. One of them concerns the prior polls. Indeed, several polls predicted a lead for Gonzalez, while several others predicted the exact opposite result, a victory for Maduro.public opinion pollThere were also some Among them, Hinterlaces, which has a reputation for relatively accurate predictions in past elections, made predictions similar to the results of the election announced by the government this time. Although the organizations conducting the polls are all considered "independent," they are likely to be biased by their management's support for or opposition to the current administration.pointing outThere are None of the Japanese media covered only the polls predicting Gonzalez's victory, without mentioning the existence of multiple polls predicting Maduro's victory or the possibility of bias in the polls predicting Gonzalez's victory.

Mr. Maduro (Photo:President of the Russian Federation / Wikimedia Commons[.CC BY 4.0])

Also problematic would be the assertion by the Japanese media that "exit polls" show Gonzalez with a significant lead. The Asahi and Mainichi newspapers did not state which "exit poll" they were referring to, but they did note that in Venezuela, exit polls are not conducted.illegaland, if in fact it was conducted, its accuracy and credibility are questionable. Edison Research, a U.S. company, said it conducted an exit poll in Venezuela.claimSince the U.S. government and major Western media only cite the survey conducted by the company, it can be assumed that the "exit survey" reported by the Japanese media also refers to this survey. However, the independence of the company that conducted this exit survey and the credibility of the survey results have been questioned (*2).

Other "tally sheets" released by the opposition that supported the victory of its own camp were also tampered with.pointing outThe opposition has been questioned by the media. The Japanese media were also critical of the Supreme Court's confirmation of Maduro's election, but the opposition did not submit any evidence to the Court to support their claims. The press reported that thesedevelopmentNo mention was made of the

Gap between reality and news coverage

What was the actual outcome of the 2024 Venezuelan elections? It is quite possible that there were irregularities by the current government. The fact that the government did not release the tally sheets for each voting machine could be said to be the biggest problem. Also, the fact that the government has created a disadvantageous situation for the opposition parties, such as disqualifying opposition presidential candidates from running for office.factThe first is.

On the other hand, even if there were no irregularities, the results of this election are by no means a surprise. Although Mr. Maduro is not as popular as Mr. Chavez, the ruling party has strong support from the poor, who make up the majority of the population, and can mobilize the public at the grassroots levelnetworkis also strong. Prior to the election, there was a large pro-governmentcampaign rallywere numerous throughout the country. On the other hand, the leader of the opposition (*3) is a "hard right" andbe referred to (as)and close to major corporations and the U.S., such as the privatization of the oil industry.postureIn addition, Mr. Gonzalez was not well known among the public until a few months before the election. In addition, Mr. Gonzalez, the candidate of the united opposition this time, was not well known from the beginning, and until a few months before the election, he was almost unknown among the public.It was not known.In addition, Mr. Gonzalez, who is now 74 years old, has had frequent health problems.pointing outThe Japanese media did not mention this situation. The Japanese media did not mention this situation.

Maria Corina Machado and Gonzalez campaigning (2024) (Photo:Confidencial / Wikimedia Commons[.CC BY 3.0])

In the case of this election, it is very difficult to objectively evaluate the actual outcome of the election, given the questionable credibility of the information disseminated by the administration, the opposition camps, and third-party organizations. While there is certainly dissatisfaction with the current ruling party, questions remain as to how much support there actually was for the opposition this time around. In the midst of such uncertainty, it is the responsibility of the news media to treat the evidence and claims that are known fairly, to consider the agendas of the people and organizations involved, and to evaluate the results objectively.roleI am sure it is.

As far as media coverage of the Venezuelan elections in Japan is concerned, it is difficult to say that such an attitude existed. Without questioning the credibility of the information they quoted, they excluded information favorable to the ruling party and gave priority to information favorable to the opposition. As mentioned above, even before the election was held, it was reported as if it had been decided that Mr. Gonzalez would win and that Mr. Maduro would cheat to prevent it, a simple case of good and evil. The same tendency was observed not only in newspapers but also in TV news. For example, NHK's special on the Venezuelan presidential election (August 6, 2024In the "Gonzalez" section, criticism was focused solely on Mr. Maduro, and Gonzalez was portrayed as the victor.

America in the background

The Japanese media's perception of the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election is similar to that of the American media. Even before the election was held, the major U.S. media covered only polls that predicted a victory for the opposition party, and they reported on fraud by the Maduro regime asI was expecting.... Even after the election was conducted, major U.S. media outlets continued to call the "fraud"emphasisand that Maduro was not elected.affirmationSome media outlets were also seen to report on the situation.

Behind such biased reporting in the U.S. is the U.S. government'sspeculationThere is a It is no exaggeration to say that since President Chávez took office in 1998, the U.S. government has consistently tried to destabilize and overthrow the Venezuelan government. The "hybrid war" (*4) by the U.S. against the Venezuelan government is said to be taking place.pointing outThere have also been For example, in 2002 there was a coup in Venezuela, but President Chávez was returned to power in about two days, partly due to massive demonstrations against the coup. The U.S. government was involved in this coup from the planning stage,supportingIn 2018, we know that U.S. government officials have been talking with several Venezuelan military officers about their plans for a coup.discussionIt was later revealed that he had been

Guaido meeting with U.S. President Trump (Photo:Trump White House Archived / Flickr [PDM 1.0])

After that, the U.S. continued to oppose Maduro, including opposition parties and the local media.fundingDuring the 2018 presidential election, the U.S. government asked opposition leaders to boycott the election.coercionThe president of Venezuela's National Assembly, Juan Guaido, claimed that the election was invalid and that he was the "interim president" of Venezuela. In the meantime, Juan Guaido, who has just become president of Venezuela's National Assembly, claimed that the election was invalid and that he was the "interim president.declarationThe declaration by Mr. Guaido was made in advance by the United States and the United States. The declaration by Mr. Guaido was made in advance of the U.S. anddiscussionWe also know that this was done as a Later, Mr. Guaido, along with some of the anti-Maduro forces, militarily took Maduro's government to theLet's take him down.This is also the case with the U.S.supportreceived.

The United States, which considered Guaido "presidential," increased the economic sanctions it had imposed on Venezuela since 2017, and the assets and revenues of Venezuela's state-owned oil company in the United States.forced expropriationThe economic sanctions imposed since 2017 have already taken a heavy toll on Venezuela's economy, causing many deaths.reportThe company has been

Why has the U.S. been so focused on overthrowing the former Chavez and Maduro governments in Venezuela? The U.S. was largely aware of the oil reserves in Venezuela.In 2019, a senior official of the U.S. Donald Trump administration also asked Venezuela's? The Benefits of Regime Change for U.S. CompaniesreferenceHe did so. In addition, former President Trump himself said in a 2023 speech about Venezuela at the end of his term in 2021, "Venezuela was on the verge of collapse. We would have had all the oil."stated....... There are other possible reasons why the U.S. would want to interfere so much in Venezuela's internal affairs. That is, it thoroughly tries to prevent the emergence of any country that resists U.S. hegemony in the world, even if it is a small or medium-sized country.postureIt is. Historically, Cuba has been the target, and Cuba's "successful defiance" of the U.S. is a threat, according to past documents from the U.S. State Department.specificationIt has been Barack Obama's administration said in 2015 that the situation in Venezuela was a "threat" to the United States.announcementThe same kind of background that made thereasonThere will be

Oil rigs in Venezuela (Photo:Repsol / Flickr [CC BY-NC-SA 2.0])

Japanese media avoid mention of U.S. involvement

The U.S. has repeatedly interfered in elections and internal affairs to such an extent that Japan is rarely even mentioned in this context. For example, the U.S. Secretary of State has dogmatically "certified" that González is the winner on August 1, 2024,Asahi (newspaper), ,Mainichi NewspapersThe Yomiuri Shimbun (*5) reported without questioning the validity of that Secretary of State's statement. Both articles quoted only the U.S. statement and did not mention what the ruling party, third parties, etc. had to say or what the U.S. had in mind.

NHK's special on the Venezuelan presidential election made no mention of U.S. interference or influence in Venezuela, but instead focused on how immigrants from Venezuela are influencing the U.S.attentionThe event was held in the United States. The expert who appeared claimed that the U.S., which had shown little interest in Venezuela, began to "show commitment" because of the immigration issue at home, but it was not clear what this "commitment" was referring to.

Looking over all the coverage of the Venezuelan elections by the Yomiuri Shimbun, regarding the involvement of the US,editorialin the "Economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. for repression of opposition parties and other reasons have resulted in a shortage of foreign currency and inflation has become the norm. The editorial recited the "concern" expressed by the U.S. Secretary of State that "the results do not reflect the will of the people" without questioning the validity of that statement. The Asahi Shimbun is similar,editorialincludes a strong statement that "U.S. diplomacy in Latin America has long abused sanctions and interventions that have not allowed anti-U.S. and leftist leanings in its 'backyard'. Although it did include one strong statement, "This has a history of giving rise to dictatorial regimes and contributing to economic difficulties," it seems to view this as "history" rather than something that is still ongoing today.

Problematic Election and Press Coverage Trends

However, such biased coverage of elections is not limited to Venezuela. The content and tone of Japanese media coverage of elections in many low- and middle-income countries varies depending on the relationship between the country and the United States. This is especially true of Latin America, which has been called the "backyard" (*6) of the United States. When elections are held in countries with regimes that resist U.S. interference and influence and that the U.S. considers uncooperative toward their countries, the Japanese media tends to emphasize allegations of "fraud" or report on the assumption that there has been fraud. Conversely, when the U.S. has a regime that it considers cooperative and supports, allegations of fraud are rarely pursued in the press, even if they do emerge.

Police (2024) against demonstrators protesting the results of the announced elections (Photo:Confidencial / Wikimedia Commons[.CC BY 3.0])

For example, presidential elections were held in Bolivia in 2019, with the result announced that Evo Morales, who was deemed uncooperative with the United States, was reelected. In such a situation, serious allegations of fraud were made by a monitoring team from the Organization of American States (OAS).reportThe U.S. government has been The U.S. government has reported thissupportThe first time the government was involved in the case, Morales was forced to resign. Allegations of fraud led to demonstrations in Bolivia, and Morales was eventually forced by the military to resign. However, the OAS did not release any evidence to support the allegations of fraud, and it was later determined that the election was rigged.There wasn't.It was revealed that From the U.S.affectOAS, but one research organization called the OAS report "dishonest, biased, and unprofessional."criticismand many other researchers protested thevoicewent up.

The Japanese media highlighted the "irregularities" in the Bolivian elections and expressed understanding that Morales had been pulled out. An editorial in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper (*7) expressed the view that "it is not surprising that the police and military also defected," since "irregularities had been pointed out" andinsert (e.g. an article)The first time, the company was in a position to do so.Mainichi NewspapersNone of the three newspapers questioned the basis for the allegations of fraud announced by the OAS, nor did they make any corrections when it later became clear that there were no irregularities in the election.

The 2017 Honduran presidential election is a case in point. The results were announced after the election, with President Juan Hernández seeking reelection, but allegations of fraud were expressed by several institutions, including the OAS, and the situationbecoming more serious or severe (problem)The U.S. government, however, which had supported President Hernández However, the U.S. government, which had supported President Hernandez, became the opposition party.pressureThe result of the reelection of the ruling party was pushed through about three weeks after the elections were held, partly due to the fact that the United States had previously interfered in the internal affairs of Honduras. The U.S. has a history of meddling in Honduras' internal affairs. For example, when then Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was overthrown in a coup d'état in 2009, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made it clear that Zelaya could not return to the presidency.Lobbied for.The following is a list of the most common problems with the

The Japanese media did not appear to take issue with the allegations of fraud in the 2017 Honduran presidential election. The Asahi Shimbun (*9) reported the announcement of the winner by the country's electoral authorities in a matter-of-fact manner (*10), claiming that the fraud was solely on the part of the opposition party (*11). The Mainichi Shimbun (*11) and the Yomiuri Shimbun (*12) did the same. Neither newspaper touched on the allegations of third-party organizations such as the OAS or U.S. interference.

Former Bolivian President Morales (Photo:The Presidential Press and Information Office / Wikimedia Commons[.CC BY 4.0])

Press coverage trends seen around the world

This trend in news coverage is widespread beyond Latin America. For example, although not an allegation of election fraud, in Pakistan, former Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from power in 2022 in a vote of no confidence. The U.S. government considered Khan an uncooperative leader and asked other officials in the government to adopt a no-confidence motion.pressureIt has been revealed that the government had put a However, in the Japanese media, this no-confidence motion wasviewed as a problemThe regime was not to be. Also, during Egypt's presidential elections in 2023, the regime thoroughly rejected other candidacies for theshutting outAfter suppressing criticism, the incumbent President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi was reelected with 90% of the vote. The Japanese media did not seem to take a critical view of the election, and reported the results without editorializing about them (*13).

In these election reports, there were also differences in the language used for the regimes. For example, words such as "autocratic" and "dictatorial" were used to describe Venezuelan President Maduro and his administration.Asahi (newspaper) , ,Mainichi Newspapers, ,Yomiuri (newspaper)It also appeared multiple times in the In the Mainichi Shimbun, the term "dictatorial colors" also appeared in nine articles in the three weeks before and after the 2024 election.

However, the word "dictatorship" did not appear in either newspaper's coverage of the 2023 presidential election in Egypt. Even in articles about the Saudi regime, which does not even hold elections, the word "dictatorship" was not used in these newspaper reports. Is this related to the fact that they are closely related to the U.S. and Japanese governments?

Election poster for Egyptian President Sisi (Photo:BavKraft / Wikimedia Commons[.CC0 1.0])

summary

Although we have compared several cases in this article, the circumstances of each election in each country are naturally different and cannot be treated in the same way. However, it can still be said that the Japanese media tends to be influenced by the U.S. government and media when reporting on problematic elections in other countries. another of GNV'ssurveyexamines how the amount of international coverage in Japan is influenced by the amount of coverage in the New York Times in the United States. This article suggests that the Japanese media is influenced by the US not only in which countries are the focus of its attention, but also in how it perceives events in each country.

The Japanese media generally has little interest in Latin America, with only about 2% of international coverage at most.unoccupied... Each news organization's coverage network in Latin America is alsoscarcelyThe entirety of Latin America must be covered from one location in Brazil to another in the United States. In such a situation, it is difficult to conduct independent reporting and fact-checking, and the result may be a recitation of the views of major U.S. media outlets.

A big question remains as to whether the coverage seen in this article captures the actual situation in each country. Meanwhile, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the presidential election in Venezuela,editorialin the "Japan cannot afford to be indifferent to the situation. Japan cannot afford to remain indifferent. Based on this awareness, we hope to reexamine the reality of election coverage in other countries.

1 Yomiuri Shimbun, "President's Reelection: Supreme Court Affirms Venezuela," August 24, 2024.

2 Maria Corina Machado was selected as the united opposition candidate in the 2023 opposition primaries, but was disqualified from running because of her support for the coup and other reasons. Gonzalez replaced her as the united opposition candidate, but Machado was disqualified from running because of her support for the opposition leader andhave become (formal, literary)The following is a list of the most common problems with the

3 Edison Research's primary clients are the Voice of America and other communications from the U.S. government to citizens of other countries.intelligence agency(U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), in Iraq, Ukraine, and other countries of importance to the U.S. government.public opinion pollalso conducted the study. This means that the U.S. government likely commissioned this survey and may have influenced the results.

4 Hybrid warfare is "the use of various military and non-military means to achieve an objective in a situation that does not lead to full-scale military warfare or to intentionally avoid full-scale military warfare.Definition.In many cases, it is being done.

5 Yomiuri Shimbun, "U.S. Secretary of State: 'Victory for Opposition,' Venezuelan Presidential Election: Demanding Incumbent Step Down," August 3, 2024.

6 President Joe Biden refers to Latin America as his "front yard" in 2022.Called.The following is a list of the most common problems with the

7 Another reason given was that he had changed the number of times he was reappointed, "distorting the interpretation of the Constitution that established term limits for presidents.

*8 Yomiuri Shimbun, "Bolivian President Flees Country, Alleged Fraud, Mexico Accepts Asylum," November 13, 2019.

9 Asahi Shimbun, "President Undecided: Honduras, Protests Kill Some," December 04, 2017.

10 Asahi Shimbun, "(24 Earth Hours) Incumbent Announced as Winner, Honduran Presidential Election," December 19, 2017.

11 Mainichi Shimbun, "Honduran Presidential Election: reelection of President Hernández announced three weeks after voting," December 18, 2017.

12 Yomiuri Shimbun, "Honduran President: Electoral College Announces Reelection of Incumbent Three Weeks After Voting," December 19, 2017.

13 Yomiuri Shimbun, "Egypt: President Sisi's Third Election: Voter Turnout Rises 66%, Three Candidates Win Handily," December 19, 2023.

Writer: Virgil Hawkins

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