On October 7, Venezuela held elections in which 81% of registered voters participated and incumbent president Hugo Chavez won by a margin of over 11 points against opposition candidate Henrique Capriles. Come hear and exchange with U.S. civil society representatives who were invited by Venezuela’s National Election Council to join hundreds of other electoral monitors from around the world to witness the country’s October 7, 2012 presidential elections.

The presenters will share their experiences in meeting and talking with Venezuelan voters, local and national election officials, and both pro and anti government representatives. Learn about the country’s voting procedures and processes, voting machines, and safeguards for a transparent, fair, non-fraudulent electoral process. As we prepare for presidential elections in our own country, the panelists will discuss how the Venezuelan electoral process works and what the October 7 elections mean for Venezuela, Latin America and the U.S.

Panelists:

• James Early, Institute for Policy Studies Board Member
• James Gomez, Director for International Affairs, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
• Alex Main, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), Senior Associate for International Policy

Moderated by Deborah James, Director of International Programs, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).