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)

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Summary
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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.

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Reparo Just Another Chavista Trap
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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.

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Acevedo: Purges Continuing, Nothing New
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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.

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Semi-Permanent Vacations: Staff Purges Delay Process
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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.

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It's Not Easy Being a CNE Employee...
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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.

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GOV Tightening Control of CNE
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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.

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Comment
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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


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2004CARACA00786 - CONFIDENTIAL