This is John Batcher, conversation with my colleague Professor Avenals of the U.S. Army War College about the suspect vote in Venezuela.

The Carter Center did not attend, did not send representatives because they couldn't

be certain that they would be given access to all of the polling stations necessary to certify

the election. As it turned out, the election is not certified, the validity is challenged around the world.

Evan Ellis speaks of the Carter Center and how their statement afterwards was unusually strong,

amazingly strong and making it clear that they doubt the vote.

There's Evan Ellis on the Carter Center.

The EU said they doubted. the EU said they doubt it.

OAS said they doubt it.

The U.S. says they doubt it.

A number of people said they doubt it.

But the Carter Center, independent, it goes into dangerous places to watch vote, and it does not like what it saw what it could not

see in Venezuela. More of this tonight. Well John I I know and have a lot of

respect for the Carter Center and some of their key leaders like

Jenny Lincoln and also what I knew from the very beginning was that the Carter Center had reservations

about having a presence in a context where they really didn't have access to all

of the polling stations and things that they needed to certify a non-fraudional election.

And so I think from the very beginning the Carter Center

although again very widely respected across the region was a little bit leery about

being used and traditionally through elections in very controversial places including Bolivia has been

very cautious about seeming to be biased in favor of one side versus the other.

For me thus it was particularly striking when the Carter Center actually withdrew its observers unusually quickly

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