VENEZUELA: REFERENDUM DAY, NOON, AUGUST 15

UNCLAS CARACAS 002615 SIPDIS NSC FOR CBARTON HQ SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS USAID FOR DCHA/OTI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM VE OAS SUBJECT: VENEZUELA: REFERENDUM DAY, NOON, AUGUST 15 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) Despite reported delays in the opening of voting locations, long lines of people (between 400-1,000 people) waited patiently to vote in the August 15 presidential recall referendum. As of 10:30 am local, 99% of the voting centers had opened, according to CNE director Jorge Rodriguez. CNE President Francisco Carrasquero told reporters that the CNE still plans to release preliminary results three hours after polls close and dismissed reports that the voting machines were emitting receipts indicating a voter voted "No" when the voter pushed the "Si" button. During his meeting with former President Jimmy Carter and Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Cesar Gaviria, President Hugo Chavez guaranteed that he would respect the results of the August 15 referendum regardless who won. CNE director Ezequiel Zamora announced the CNE's creation of a special commission to resolve complaints or irregularities with the accreditation process on August 14. End Summary. -------------- Lines Are Long But People are Determined -------------- ¶2. (U) Despite reported delays in the opening of voting locations, long lines of people (between 400-1,000 people) waited patiently to vote in the August 15 presidential recall referendum. Communications and Information Minister Jesse Chacon predicted less than 30% of those registered would abstain from voting. As of 10:30 am local, 99% of the voting centers had opened, according to CNE director Jorge Rodriguez. Several centers reported opening late (about 1 hour and a half delay) because of the lack of operators for the fingerprinting machines at centers and other reasons. CNE directors Ezequiel Zamora and Jorge Rodriguez announced voting should commence with our without fingerprint machines. As the morning progressed, reports of bottlenecks mostly from fingerprint machine delays or problems were common, and Miranda State Governor Enrique Mendoza urged the CNE to stop using the machines if they continued to cause delays. Rodriguez simultaneously told reporters that the CNE expected to resolve the problems with the fingerprint machines "within the hour." ¶3. (U) Former President Jimmy Carter said told reporters that the voting centers he had visited that morning had opened on time, and voting was orderly and progress was smooth. He noted there were long lines of voters waiting patiently to vote. Carter said it was important for people to comply with the directives of the CNE and avoid early projections of the results because that would only deter the process. OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria also visited numerous voting SIPDIS places. As of 9:50 am local, news reports showed international observers invited by the CNE still in lobby of the Hilton Hotel in Caracas. -------------- Carrasquero Reassures Reporters -------------- ¶4. (U) CNE President Francisco Carrasquero told reporters that the CNE still plans to release preliminary results three hours after polls closed and dismissed reports that the voting machines were emitting receipts indicating a voter voted "No" when the voter pushed the "Si" button. Carrasquero said receiving the wrong vote from the automatic voting machines was "impossible." -------------- Chavez Reassures Carter and the OAS -------------- ¶5. (U) During his meeting with former President Jimmy Carter and Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Cesar Gaviria August 14, President Hugo Chavez guaranteed he would respect the results of the August 15 referendum regardless who won. As he had done in his marathon press conference two days earlier, Chavez told reporters that he invited opposition leaders to a lunch at the Presidential Palace on August 16 so that both sides could recognize the results of the referendum. Chavez's message to the people was to vote and vote early, avoid provocations to violence, and rest assured that both sides would accept the results of the referendum. Chavez also told Carter and Gaviria he was concerned about opposition leaders announcing preliminary results starting early on August 15. Carter and Gaviria reassured him saying that opposition leaders promised them to wait a reasonable amount of time (3 days) for the National Electoral Council (CNE) to make an announcement before they took it upon themselves. -------------- Special Commission for Complaints -------------- ¶6. (U) CNE director Ezequiel Zamora announced the CNE's creation of a special commission to resolve complaints or irregularities with the accreditation process on August 14. Zamora said the commission hoped to resolve all the outstanding complaints before the voting centers opened August 15. The commission was formed due to the large number of complaints originating in 6 of Venezuela's states, including the federal district. -------------- Salas Roemer Accuses CNE of "Abuses" -------------- ¶7. (U) Jumping the queue to vote in his home state of Carabobo, Project Venezuela leader and presidential hopeful Henrique Salas Roemer said he was impressed with the "great happiness" of the Venezuelan people who have come out to vote. He said he has never seen such a turnout, but at the same time, he has never seen such abuses committed by the National Electoral Council (CNE) authorities. "The Venezuelan people have the right to vote," he said, but the CNE is trying to make it difficult. Referring to the many people lined up at his voting center in Carabobo and chanting "We want to vote," Salas Roemer asserted that the Venezuelan people have decided affirmatively to change the direction of the country and are ready to celebrate a victory. Shapiro NNNN 2004CARACA02615 - UNCLASSIFIED