US embassy cable - 04CARACAS3292

C O N F I D E N T I A L  CARACAS 003292 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR CBARTON 
USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS USAID FOR DCHA/OTI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/10/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, KDEM, VE 
SUBJECT: VENEZUELA'S REGIONAL ELECTIONS: COMING TO AN END 
 
REF: A. A: CARACAS 02758 
 
     B. B: CARACAS 02885 
 
Classified By: Abelardo A. Arias, Political Counselor, for 
Reason 1.4(d) 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
1. (C) National Electoral Council (CNE) President Francisco 
Carrasquero declared October 19 that only 2.1% of Venezuelan 
voters registered did not have addresses.  Opposition 
leaders, who had alleged that more than a million persons did 
not meet the legal requirement of having an address, 
challenged the CNE to make the electoral registry public and 
open it for scrutiny.  Preparing for the October 31 
elections, the CNE increased the number of voting centers, 
voting tables, and electronic voting machines and decreased 
the number of voting table workers.  There will be no 
international observers like the Carter Center, Organization 
of American States (OAS), and the European Union. 
Abstentions are the chief obstacle to the opposition, which 
has a lot riding on these elections.  End Summary. 
 
----------------------- 
The Electoral Registry 
----------------------- 
 
2. (U) A committee of Governors and Mayors complained to the 
National Electoral Council (CNE) on October 13 that more than 
1.8 million new voters in the electoral register do not have 
addresses listed in the register as required by electoral 
law.  On October 19 CNE President, Francisco Carrasquero, 
publicly and vehemently contradicted the claim during a press 
conference.  He insisted the CNE technical committee found 
40,283 Qters without addresses by cross-checking voter 
information.  Asserting that only 2.1% of the people the 
opposition produced as "proof of fraud" were without 
addresses, Carrasquero demanded that the opposition respect 
the CNE and desist trying to prevent or delay the regional 
elections, which he insisted would go forward on October 31. 
 
3. (U) Primero Justicia President and National Assembly 
Deputy, Julio Borges, said that if the CNE were as 
transparent as it claimed to be the electoral registry would 
have been posted publicly so all Venezuelans could review it 
and denounce inconsistencies or incorrect information. 
Instead, Borges said, the CNE has kept the registry hidden 
and made a spectacle of having one journalist "check" the 
notebooks during the press conference October 19.  (Note: By 
law, the CNE is required to publish the official electoral 
registry and open it for voters to dispute incorrect 
information, but it has not done so.)  Primero Justicia and 
other political parties have petitioned the Supreme Court 
(TSJ) to annul the electoral registry or to call for its 
complete review before regional elections. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
More Centers, More Tables, More People, More Time... 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
4. (U) To reduce the amount of time it takes to vote before 
the regional elections, the CNE created 572 additional voting 
centers.  The CNE also increased and redistributed the number 
of voting tables (28,617 total) and electronic voting 
machines (23,595) to be used.  The National Electoral Board 
(JNE) selected 194,242 new poll workers to correspond to the 
voting table and voting center increases.  With time running 
short, the CNE decided that voters whose voting center has 
changed would be notified on Election Day when they arrived 
at their previously assigned voting location. 
 
5. (C) The CNE organized training sessions for poll workers 
October 4-7.  According to the poll worker-training manual, 3 
principal poll workers and a secretary will run each voting 
table, rather than by the 5 workers the law calls for.  Each 
voting center will also include a "coordinator", newly 
appointed by the CNE.  (Note: There are no provisions in the 
electoral law for this type of official.)  At centers with 
electronic voting machines, after the voting finishes and 
polls close, the results are to be transmitted, and then a 
vote count document is to be printed.  CNE director Jorge 
Rodriguez told reporters October 18 that the Governors and 
Mayors Committee had agreed to a post-election audit that 
 
 
would allow voting table members to count the ballots when 
voting ended. The Governors and Mayors contradicted 
Rodriguez. 
 
6. (U) In preparation for October 31, the CNE conducted a 
voting simulation October 10.  The results gave rise to 
worries that the increase in centers and redistribution of 
tables would not be enough to compensate for the time needed 
per voter to cast a ballot. 
 
----------- 
CNE Changes 
----------- 
 
7. (U) On September 27, Director Ezequiel Zamora resigned 
from the CNE because of differences with the majority. 
During an October 19 press conference, CNE President 
Carrasquero urged the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme 
Court to examine Director Sobella Mejias' political actions 
and "take action accordingly."  Mejias was acting as a 
political agent rather than neutral election official and 
distorting figures, according to Carrasquero.  Mejias had 
complained about alleged irregularities in the electoral 
register and insisted on a complete review. 
 
--------------- 
The Legalities 
--------------- 
 
8. (U) The NGO Sumate asked Venezuela's Supreme Court to 
suspend the regional elections because of the violations of 
the Electoral Law.  The illegalities Sumate alleges include: 
the CNE did not publish the public notice for regional 
elections that should have been published six months ahead of 
the elections; irregularities with the electoral registry 
that were denounced were not resolved; specifications for the 
technical audits have not been approved; the General 
Electoral Rules have not been approved nor published; the 
electronic voting machines have not been properly tested, 
stored, or guarded; there are no representatives or witnesses 
from different organizations at the different levels of the 
electoral process; and the CNE Directorate is still one 
member short since no official has been named to replace 
Ezequiel Zamora. 
 
----------------------- 
International Observers 
----------------------- 
 
9. (U) In early October, the CNE issued invitations to some 
international observers. The Carter Center declined the 
invitation citing lack of time and resources to adequately 
observe, and the lack of confidence in their ability by 
political actors.  The Organization of American States (OAS) 
also declined saying there was insufficient time to prepare 
an election observation team.  The European Union will not be 
sending an observation team.  (Comment:  We believe the 
invitations were for show, since the CNE knows well the 
Carter Center and OAS and EU requirements to mount an 
observation.) 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
10. (C) The CNE declaration that the electoral registry is 
not a problem as the opposition claims comes as no surprise, 
and Carrasquero's statement about Mejias "political actions" 
is irony at its best.  The opposition's and Sumate's court 
challenge will languish as it is unlikely that the Supreme 
Court will issue any decision to contradict the CNE before 
the regional elections.  Predictions of low turnout by 
opposition voters are likely being exacerbated by the CNE's 
continuing and public disregard for what the opposition 
claims are unequal and illegal voting conditions. 
 
11. (C) The main challenge the opposition faces is 
abstentionism, some of it fueled by opposition leaders' 
statements after the 8/15 referendum.  Having questioned the 
fairness of the CNE, it is harder for them to convince voters 
to stand in line again to vote.  The regional races remain 
important, both in terms of giving the opposition authority 
and resources, and in terms of developing future leaders. 
Brownfield 
 
 
NNNN 
      2004CARACA03292 - CONFIDENTIAL