The military regime through its puppet National Electoral Committee refuses (here and here) international observers for the crucial September elections. It had previously said "we have had like X elections with international observers, there is nothing to fear". "We have the best electoral system on Earth", "the system has been certified by the Carter Centre" (apparently for eternity). The military regime knows all international organizations have a better understanding now of what is going on within the CNE and in Venezuela in general and they would be more careful than in 2004 and 2006.
At the same time, current president of the Venezuelan parliament, Cilia Flores, and other big PSUV honchos accuse the opposition of planning a coup. Opposition politician Octavio Paz was put in jail for saying less than that in spite of actually having more grounds to express that (see also UNODC report on drugs).
At the same time, current president of the Venezuelan parliament, Cilia Flores, and other big PSUV honchos accuse the opposition of planning a coup. Opposition politician Octavio Paz was put in jail for saying less than that in spite of actually having more grounds to express that (see also UNODC report on drugs).
Chavismo will very likely invite as farce observers people like Chávez fan in Belgium, Sfia Bouarfa, a supporter of the Cuban dictatorship who seems to blaim anything on the US Americans.
The military regime simply refuses to accept international observers who don't love Hugo Chávez.
On the video below you can see how one of Chávez's governors, Tarek Saab, tears to pieces the paper ballot because it did not show his choice. The paper ballot is supposed to be the "big proof" the system works. This happened to Chávez's dad and to former minister Aristóbulo Istúriz. This happened to many oppos as well but they were detained for doing what Sir Tarek did. Some people are more equal to others and only pro-Chávez are people. As Esdata has repeatedly documented, numberssimply do not add up.
The military regime simply refuses to accept international observers who don't love Hugo Chávez.
On the video below you can see how one of Chávez's governors, Tarek Saab, tears to pieces the paper ballot because it did not show his choice. The paper ballot is supposed to be the "big proof" the system works. This happened to Chávez's dad and to former minister Aristóbulo Istúriz. This happened to many oppos as well but they were detained for doing what Sir Tarek did. Some people are more equal to others and only pro-Chávez are people. As Esdata has repeatedly documented, numberssimply do not add up.
The "most modern system on Earth" is much slower than any manual system I know of.
Chavismo will also forget about adding publishing votes of Venezuelans abroad, following the attitude it has taken since 2007. That is because Nicolas Maduro, the Chávez minister of Foreign Affairs, wants to say most Venezuelans abroad support the regime and the regime cannot massage votes as easily abroad. In 2008 and 2009 over 85% of Venezuelans abroad voted against the military regime - we have the documentation to prove it - and yet Maduro said over 50% of Venezuelan voters abroad actually signed a petition in support of the government. One day, Mr Maduro is going to have to explain this.
More information on elections here (including the report of an EU observer)
Has the "most modern system on earth" finished balloting the 2007 referendum election?
ReplyDeleteYesterday, Ultimas Noticias printed a blank page as a protest to military censoring their pictures on the front page.
Can anybody really believe there is neutrality in a country like that?
Sheesh
No, they haven't for Venezuela "because it doesn't change anything", as the CNE says, completely violating the law they should abide by.
ReplyDeleteSome people demanded several times to have the counting for voters abroad published at the CNE site and the CNE just ignored them time after time.
I firmly believe Venezuelans abroad should escalate this further: demand via the embassies and with open letters to the international media that votes be counted here and there and demand that international observers -other than the Chavez fans- be admitted.
"Can anybody really believe there is neutrality in a country like that?"
Nope.
They can simply "not care" because they will always justify Chávez as he is "the enemy of their enemy". There are also the ones who remain silent for the money.
In the chilean senate only 3 voted against the proposal to sent observers to the elections. 1 abstention. 15 senators voted in favour. Some Senators from the Concertación parties have supported the proposal.
ReplyDeleteChavista apologets in Europe often present the "bolivarian" "revolution" as kind of a avandgarde of a more broad left turn in Latin American politics. One of their many lies. I do not mean a slightly more interested focus on social issues after very neoliberal times. I am talking about Chávez as avandgarde. There is data about votes of individual votes on the senates website. http://tinyurl.com/37yyfhm
The proposal to sent observers to the venezuelean elections was suported by the following Concertación Senators:
Isabel Allende Bussi (Socialistas), Ignacio Walker Prieto (Demócrata Cristiano), Andrés Zaldívar Larraín (Demócrata Cristiano), Hosain Sabag Castillo (Demócrata Cristiano), Patricio Walker Prieto (Demócrata Cristiano)
Against the proposal voted Senador Alejandro Navarro Brain from small Movimiento Amplio Social, Jaime Quintana Leal from Por la Democracia, Eugenio Tuma Zedan from Por la Democracia
Abstention: José Antonio Gómez (Radical Social Demócrata)
Axel,
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for the information. I think I will take a closer look at that.
Support from Europeans has become more difficult. The oppo should, if possible, inform how those supporting Chávez in Europe
and increasingly in Latin America are the most extremist (well, if possible, we have other priorities).
Sfia Bouarfa is a Morocco-born socialist who automatically takes as "social" anything that is associated with anti-US talk.
Her Socialist Party is perhaps the most stuck-in-the-past in Western Europe and she is on the radical side of it.
I have seen in a blog from the Linke that even within them (of all people) there are people who are not so happy (but of course, they are not very vocal about it, pa' fuera es otra historia).