Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04CARACAS3382
2004-11-01 16:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Caracas
Cable title:  

CHAVISTAS WIN BIG IN REGIONAL ELECTIONS

Tags:  PGOV KDEM PHUM VE 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 003382 

SIPDIS


NSC FOR CBARTON
USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD
STATE PASS USAID FOR DCHA/OTI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2014
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM VE
SUBJECT: CHAVISTAS WIN BIG IN REGIONAL ELECTIONS

Classified By: Abelardo A. Arias, Political Counselor,
for Reasons 1.4(b).

-------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 003382

SIPDIS


NSC FOR CBARTON
USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD
STATE PASS USAID FOR DCHA/OTI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2014
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM VE
SUBJECT: CHAVISTAS WIN BIG IN REGIONAL ELECTIONS

Classified By: Abelardo A. Arias, Political Counselor,
for Reasons 1.4(b).

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (U) Pro-Chavez candidates won 20 of 22 governorships and
the mayoralty of metropolitan Caracas in the October 31
regional elections. Governors Enrique Mendoza (Miranda
State) and Henrique Salas Feo (Carabobo) trailed their
Chavista opponents and challenged the accuracy of the
preliminary results released early November 1 by the National
Electoral Council (CNE). Opposition candidates in Zulia
State and Nueva Esparta State won. In Caracas, Baruta Mayor
Enrique Capriles and Chacao Mayor Leopoldo Lopez, of the
opposition party Primero Justicia, won, as did Fifth Republic
Movement (MVR) Libertador Mayor Freddy Bernal. The winners
begin their terms of office within a week or two of the local
electoral boards' certification of results. Voter turnout
was low in both opposition and pro-Chavez strongholds,
reaching 60 percent nationwide. President Hugo Chavez and
his supporters took advantage of the relatively calm voting
day to dig at the U.S. by expressing hope that the United
States' elections be as transparent that of Venezuela. End
summary.

--------------
Preliminary Results Give
--------------


2. (U) The National Electoral Council (CNE) released
preliminary results of the regional elections just after
midnight on November 1. CNE Director Jorge Rodriguez noted
that the results were partial, based on information
transmitted from voting machines and, in a few cases, were
not sufficient to confirm a winner. According to the partial
count, pro-Chavez candidates won 20 of 22 governor seats.
(The CNE gave results for only a handful of the 335 mayoral
races.) The CNE announced the victory of Chavista luminaries
such as former Infrastructure Minister Diosdado Cabello in
Miranda State, Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) Deputy Tarek
William Saab in Anzoategui State, and retired National Guard
General Felipe Acosta Carles in Carabobo State. MVR Deputy
Juan Barreto easily won control of the mayoralty of the
Caracas federal district. Pro-Chavez Maracaibo Mayor
Giancarlo DiMartino appeared to have lost in the initial

report, but subsequent announcements by Maracaibo election
officials suggested he might yet prevail.


3. (U) On the opposition side, Zulia State Governor Manuel
Rosales held a commanding lead over retired army general
Alberto Gutierrez in that state. Former Nueva Esparta State
(Margarita Island) Governor Morel Rodriguez beat pro-Chavez
incumbent Alexis Navarro in that state. In the Caracas
federal district, Baruta Mayor Enrique Capriles and Chacao
Mayor Leopoldo Lopez, both of Primero Justicia, handily won
their races.

--------------
Opposition Challenges Some Results
--------------


4. (U) While MVR candidate Diosdado Cabello was giving his
victory speech for his 52-48% win in Miranda State, Governor
Enrique Mendoza publicly announced that his count showed
otherwise. Mendoza claimed that his tabulation of copies of
tally sheets showed a 53-47% tilt in his favor. Cabello said
Mendoza's reaction is "damaging" to the State and called on
Mendoza to make his appeal via the courts. In Carabobo,
Governor Henrique Salas Feo rejected the CNE's announcement
and claimed to have a 26% lead over the pro-Chavez candidate.
The opposition governors of Bolivar and Yaracuy states,
Antonio Rojas Suarez and Eduardo Lapi, made similar
challenges to the CNE results. According to electoral law,
state and municipal electoral boards certify the results of
gubernatorial and mayoral races, respectively, within two
days after the election. Once certified, the newly elected
officials are inaugurated within one to two weeks, depending
on regulations in each state and municipality.

--------------
Voting Day: Relative Calm, High Abstention
--------------


5. (U) Election day was marked by relative calm with only
sporadic reports of irregularities in voting procedures.
Preliminary results suggest 60 percent abstention nationwide.
In contrast to the endless hours of waiting in line during
the August 15 presidential recall referendum, voters waited
no more than 30 minutes. Fingerprint-capturing computers
were used at most centers to verify identity of voters and
did not slow down the voting lines. The CNE extended voting
one hour to 5:00 p.m. to accommodate latecomers. Emboffs
observed minimal numbers of people in lines at dozens of
voting centers in Caracas and nearby states. GOV officials
repeated throughout the day that abstention rates in regional
elections are historically high. Chavez contended to
reporters after he cast his vote that abstention rates are
lower than those of the U.S., which sometimes reach 80%.

--------------
GOV Wishes U.S. Well In Nov. 2 Vote
--------------


6. (U) During a press conference at his assigned polling
place, Chavez extolled the transparency of Venezuelan voting
procedures and the cutting-edge technology used. Chavez said
his country's voting system is more transparent, more direct
than that of the United States, taking a swipe at the U.S.
Electoral College as an affront to "direct democracy." Vice
President Rangel told reporters he hoped U.S. elections would
be transparent and not leave doubts among the voters.

--------------
Comment
--------------


7. (C) True to their predictions, the Chavistas have handed
the opposition a stinging electoral defeat. We expect a
similar sweep for Chavez's candidates at the mayoral level.
Governors Mendoza and Salas may have a chance to pull out a
victory as more results are reported, but it seems unlikely.
Abstention rates are only slightly higher than in previous
regional elections here, making the unusually high turnout in
the presidential recall referendum look ever more like an
outlier. From our informal observation, abstention seemed to
affect both sides, with opposition voters apathetic after the
referendum loss and Chavista campaigns suffering from less
"walking around money" than what was available in the
referendum.

Brownfield


NNNN
2004CARACA03382 - CONFIDENTIAL