CNE EMPLOYEES: GOV TAKING OVER, RECALL UNLIKELY

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 000786 SIPDIS NSC FOR CBARTON USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS USAID DCHA/OTI FOR RPORTER E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2014 TAGS: PGOV KDEM VE SUBJECT: CNE EMPLOYEES: GOV TAKING OVER, RECALL UNLIKELY REF: CARACAS 00716 Classified By: Abelardo A. Arias, Political Counselor, for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Diego Acevedo, aide to CNE Director Sobella Mejias, claimed even if the presidential referendum signature appeals process overcomes significant technical hurdles, it will nonetheless be vulnerable to pro-Chavez sabotage from the overseeing officials. He claimed all of the CNE's regional offices have been purged of opposition-sympathetic directors. Acevedo and other National Electoral Council (CNE) employees told poloff a combination of leadership purges and staff coercion are detrimentally changing the CNE's composition and conduct. End Summary. -------------- Reparo Just Another Chavista Trap -------------- ¶2. (C) Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) decided March 2 to send "suspect" signatures collected to convoke a recall referendum on President Hugo Chavez to a verification process (reparo). Under CNE regulations, signers have five days to re-affirm or challenge their signatures. The CNE approved 1.8 million signatures, 600,000 signatures shy of the 2.4 million threshold needed to trigger the recall (ref a). The opposition turned in 3.4 million signatures in December. Thamara Escalona, CNE's Chief of Transcription, told poloff February 25 that 2.1 million signatures had passed quality control, matching what opposition sources have claimed, but not the 1.8 million figure announced by CNE President Francisco Carrasquero March 2. ¶3. (C) Diego Acevedo, aide to CNE Director Sobella Mejias, told poloff March 3 that CNE efforts to reach an appeals process would be futile considering the massive amount of signatures and the short time to prepare for the event. Escalona, too, said it would be technically difficult to conduct the appeals process. She warned not to make time comparisons with the signature drive, because "this is a more complicated process." Even if there is agreement on the appeals process, and it is technically feasible, Acevedo argued CNE officials would sabotage the process. He claimed all 24 CNE regional heads were Chavistas and that the majority of the 2,700 CNE employees would be temporary workers, not regular employees. He said a new pro-Chavez CNE union would likely pick the temps. -------------- Acevedo: Purges Continuing, Nothing New -------------- ¶4. (C) Acevedo argued that pro-Chavez CNE directors are not concerned with the negative publicity generated by a staff purge, as evidenced by the March 2 firing of Ana Mercedes Gia, the head of the Political Participation Commission. He claimed Director Jorge Rodriguez dismissed her for the vague reason that the "opposition had corrupted her." He asserted that Rodriguez and the two other Chavez-leaning directors fire and hire employees at will, knowing that they can override objections from the two opposition-leaning directors. Although he conceded Chavistas were sending employees on vacations to increase pro-GOV influence, Acevedo argued it is normal and legal to make employees use leave. -------------- -------------- Semi-Permanent Vacations: Staff Purges Delay Process -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Escalona reported 35 employees had been sent on ordered vacation and replaced by Chavistas, including all opposition-aligned regional heads. CNE Electoral Information Section employees Rommel Hernandez and Melania Diaz told poloff February 12 that CNE directors are packing the CNE with Chavez sympathizers who will delay the recall process either intentionally or because they are technically incompetent. "They want people they can depend on to do nothing," said Hernandez. "All their talk about the constitution and laws is just talk... Chavez is their religion and that's all they care about." Hernandez, a labor representative for the CNE's main 1,900-member union, said a rival pro-Chavez union proposes new hires for the directors to rubber stamp. About 180 employees of the CNE's 2,200 regular workforce are members in the rapidly growing upstart union. -------------- It's Not Easy Being a CNE Employee... -------------- ¶6. (C) All four CNE employees told poloff that morale is at an all-time low for opposition-sympathetic employees who feel like tools of the GOV, forced to implement rules and procedures with which they do not agree. Hernandez and Diaz claimed about 70 percent of the regular employees were still opposition aligned. Acevedo, however, said a GOV policy of blackmail and political pressure, combined with replacements and new hires, had increased the proportion of GOV influence to about 55 percent. Acevedo explained Chavista bosses often ask employees if "they are with the process" and try to pressure employees with vague threats about job security. Some employees are simply finding it easier to be Chavistas, he asserted. -------------- GOV Tightening Control of CNE -------------- ¶7. (C) The 90 CNE Employees assigned to the Superior Technical Committee work in 45 pairs according to Acevedo, ostensibly one opposition and one Chavista. However, the selection process often assigns employees without regard to their actual political inclinations. Acevedo and Escalona agreed that the process mainly favors the GOV by miscasting Chavistas as opposition representatives. Escalona claimed only 24 of the 250 employees involved in the quality control process are regular CNE employees. She estimated most of the rest are the same Chavista temporary workers employed for the physical verification process, and accused them of fraudulently revalidating rejected signatures for referendums of opposition deputies. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) In December Acevedo spoke glowingly about the ability of the CNE to come to a recall decision before February and all employees claim to have held the institution in high regard before the recall signature drives. But the increasing lack of confidence these CNE employees have in the ability and will of the institution to conduct the signature appeals raises serious doubts that the recall process, already caught up in negotiations, will ever be resolved. It also castes doubts on the ability of the CNE to manage the August regional elections in a fair, transparent, and efficient manner. One of the only things keeping a lid on massive defections appears to be the fear of losing a decent job in an economy with greater than 15 percent unemployment. SHAPIRO NNNN 2004CARACA00786 - CONFIDENTIAL