US embassy cable - 04CARACAS2643

C O N F I D E N T I A L  CARACAS 002643 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR CBARTON 
USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS USAID FOR DCHA/OTI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/12/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, PHUM, VE 
SUBJECT: VENEZUELA REFERENDUM UPDATE:  AUGUST 17 
 
 
Classified By: Abelardo A. Arias, Political Counselor for Reason 1.4 (d 
). 
 
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Summary 
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1. (C) Violence in Altamira Plaza in Caracas left one dead 
and 10 injured when a group of opposition demonstrator?T?Qi"QQ\s August 16, 
 President Hugo 
Chavez said the attack was orchestrated by the opposition to 
destabilize the country.  Chavez once again invited the 
opposition to a dialogue and announced the GoV would propose 
an agenda for talks.  Venezuelan Catholic Cardinal Jose 
Castillo Lara called on the opposition to accept the results 
for the sake of peace even though a "gigantic fraud" had been 
perpetrated by the GOV.  Primero Justicia deputies rejected 
the results and told poloff the opposition should force an 
institutional crisis to overturn the election.  End summary. 
 
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Shooting Leaves One Dead, Recriminations 
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2. (U) The August 16 shooting at Plaza Francia in the 
Altamira section of Caracas left one dead and ten injured. 
Solidaridad National Assembly Deputy Ernesto Alvarenga was 
among the persons shot during the incident.  Nearly all 
Caracas daily newspapers (the exception was the pro-Chavez 
Diario Vea) had a front-page picture of the gunmen firing 
into the crowd.  The small group of Chavez opponents had 
gathered to protest the results of the recall referendum 
announced August 15 by the National Electoral Council (CNE). 
 
3. (U) President Chavez, giving a press conference to 
international reporters late August 16, blamed the violence 
on the opposition, suggesting the attack was staged by 
anti-Chavez radicals.  He said that if the gunmen were in 
fact Chavistas, then they should be punished.  (Comment:  We 
are sure that if the GoV wanted to, it could identify the 
gunmen.)  Chavez wondered how all news television channel 
Globovision was always on hand to witness the violence and 
accused the news station of trying to destabilize the 
country.  He called for action on the proposed media law that 
would make private media outlets like Globovision "more 
responsible to the people."  Vice President Jose Vicente 
Rangel told reporters August 17 the shooters at Altamira are 
"killers, criminals, and terrorists" and said the President 
had ordered a complete investigation.  Leopoldo Lopez, mayor 
of Chacao municipality where the plaza is located, rejected 
Chavez's allegation of opposition complicity.  The mayor, 
whose 89-year-old grandfather was among the demonstrators, 
said it made no sense to think Chavez's opponents would 
deliberately put their relatives in harm's way. 
 
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Chavez Offers Olive Branch 
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4. (U) During his press conference, Chavez called the 
opposition's 40-percent showing "respectable" and once again 
invited opposition leaders to negotiate with the GOV.  He 
said the opposition should accept his offer for their own 
good and for the good of all Venezuelans.  He said Vice 
President Rangel is preparing a paper for the opposition 
proposing a dialogue.  Chavez also predicted an overwhelming 
victory in the upcoming regional elections (currently 
scheduled for September 26) and announced the CNE would at 
the same time hold recall referenda on nine opposition 
deputies. 
 
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Catholic Cardinal Urges Reconciliation 
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5. (U) Catholic Cardinal Jose Lara Castillo reportedly told 
Vatican Radio August 16 that the opposition should accept the 
results of the referendum, though a "gigantic fraud" had been 
 
perpetrated by the GOV.  Lara said the referendum results 
contradicted various exit polls indicating that the "Yes" 
option had won.  Lara accused the GoV of paying $60 to poor 
people for their votes.  The Cardinal said, however, the 
opposition should move one in the interest of soci1SQgp`lts 
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6. (C) Primero Justicia Deputy Liliana Hernandez August 17 
said the results of the recall referendum were fraudulent, 
and that Primero Justicia would not accept them.  She said 
international observers should safeguard the voting tickets, 
which are stored in the regional military commands at the 
moment.  Fernandez noted that in past elections requiring 
recounts, the ballots have been found in very poor condition, 
because there are no special storage locations and they are 
often exposed to the elements.  Primero Justicia Deputy Ramon 
Jose Medina suggested the opposition should attempt to create 
an institutional crisis, using mayors and governors, to force 
the Electoral Council to allow a manual recount of the 
ballots. He compared the situation in Venezuela today to that 
in Peru following the fraudulent 2000 election. 
Shapiro 
 
 
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      2004CARACA02643 - CONFIDENTIAL