Government of Venezuela will create a surveillance team on social networks during the electoral campaign

The Government of Venezuela plans to monitor social networks during the electoral campaign that begins tomorrow Thursday and ends on November 18, three days before the regional and local elections are held on the 21st, Communication Minister Freddy reported on Wednesday Ñáñez.

“We are considering from the Ministry of Communication and Information to create a surveillance team on what corresponds to social networks,” Ñáñez told the state channel VTV after holding a meeting with the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Pedro Calzadilla.

Ñáñez indicated that the measure is a way to guarantee freedom of expression and that it is part of the recent disposition of the CNE to add social networks to the electoral campaign regulations.

However, the CNE proposal to which Ñáñez alludes makes it clear that control will fall on the networks of candidates, parties and organizations exclusively, something that the official did not clarify, leaving up in the air which networks they intend to monitor and what content is considered objectionable. .

“Guaranteeing freedom of expression, guaranteeing freedom of thought is much more complex than simply giving voice and visibility to the different proposals, to the different speeches, to the different options, it also has a lot to do with truthfulness and opportunity. that this truly reaches the Venezuelan people, “he added.

The minister also said that the candidates for the November 21 elections have the public means at their disposal to carry out their campaigns, without specifying whether the times they will be given will be proportional or will be granted randomly.

Ñáñez recalled that the CNE on Tuesday urged the private and public media, with whom he held a meeting, to ensure that the electoral campaign is balanced and truthful, without specifying times or conditions.

The “center” of the agenda at said meeting was “the need to monitor, regulate and guarantee that this electoral campaign is carried out with the greatest balance, with the greatest veracity and with the greatest breadth. I think the message came in fair ground, ”Ñáñez pointed out.

For the regional and local elections on November 21, a total of 3,082 positions will be elected, distributed in 23 governors, 335 mayors, 253 legislators to the Legislative Councils and 2,471 councilors.

These elections will be attended, for the first time since 2017, by the bulk of the opposition, including the sector led by Guaidó, after requesting abstention in the 2018 presidential elections, and the 2020 Parliamentary elections, in which Chavismo obtained 92% of the deputies in contention. (I)