Source: RT en Español
What it’s about: On May 22th, 2019—RT en Español reported on disputed interim president and opposition leader Juan Guaido’s rejection to participate in Nicolas Maduro’s proposal to bring forward next year’s election for the opposition-controlled National Assembly. Guaidó denounced this proposal as a “new farce that would only aggravate Venezuela’s crisis.” Maduro announced his proposal while addressing a crowd of supporters on the anniversary of his May 20th, 2018 illegitimate re-election.
Why it’s misleading: The language in the news piece published by RT en Español supports Nicolás Maduro’s May 20, 2018 reelection as a legitimate process, suggesting that the electoral process was validated by a “60 percent majority voting in favor of Maduro in May of last year.” The piece fails to address the conditions under which this electoral process was held. As reported by the New York Times—as well as numerous media outlets across the globe—independent international observers were not on hand, and a crackdown on critics left several of them unable to participate in the electoral process. Additionally, representatives of Mr. Maduro’s party tracked those who voted by registering their “Fatherland Card” —or national benefits card—and promised aid and government subsidized food handouts if he was re-elected, rigging the elections in favor of Maduro in exchange for social benefits. Additionally, voter turnout was the lowest in a presidential race since the start of Venezuela’s leftist revolution two decades ago.