US embassy cable - 04CARACAS2615

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 
 
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Summary 
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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. 
 
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Lines Are Long But People are Determined 
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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. 
 
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Carrasquero Reassures Reporters 
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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." 
 
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Chavez Reassures Carter and the OAS 
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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. 
 
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Special Commission for Complaints 
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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. 
 
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Salas Roemer Accuses CNE of "Abuses" 
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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 
 
 
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      2004CARACA02615 - UNCLASSIFIED