US embassy cable - 04CARACAS3382

C O N F I D E N T I A L  CARACAS 003382 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR CBARTON 
USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS USAID FOR DCHA/OTI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, PHUM, VE 
SUBJECT: CHAVISTAS WIN BIG IN REGIONAL ELECTIONS 
 
Classified By: Abelardo A. Arias, Political Counselor, 
for Reasons 1.4(b). 
 
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Summary 
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1. (U) Pro-Chavez candidates won 20 of 22 governorships and 
the mayoralty of metropolitan Caracas in the October 31 
regional elections.  Governors Enrique Mendoza (Miranda 
State) and Henrique Salas Feo (Carabobo) trailed their 
Chavista opponents and challenged the accuracy of the 
preliminary results released early November 1 by the National 
Electoral Council (CNE).  Opposition candidates in Zulia 
State and Nueva Esparta State won.  In Caracas, Baruta Mayor 
Enrique Capriles and Chacao Mayor Leopoldo Lopez, of the 
opposition party Primero Justicia, won, as did Fifth Republic 
Movement (MVR) Libertador Mayor Freddy Bernal.  The winners 
begin their terms of office within a week or two of the local 
electoral boards' certification of results.  Voter turnout 
was low in both opposition and pro-Chavez strongholds, 
reaching 60 percent nationwide.  President Hugo Chavez and 
his supporters took advantage of the relatively calm voting 
day to dig at the U.S. by expressing hope that the United 
States' elections be as transparent that of Venezuela.  End 
summary. 
 
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Preliminary Results Give 
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2. (U) The National Electoral Council (CNE) released 
preliminary results of the regional elections just after 
midnight on November 1.  CNE Director Jorge Rodriguez noted 
that the results were partial, based on information 
transmitted from voting machines and, in a few cases, were 
not sufficient to confirm a winner.  According to the partial 
count, pro-Chavez candidates won 20 of 22 governor seats. 
(The CNE gave results for only a handful of the 335 mayoral 
races.)  The CNE announced the victory of Chavista luminaries 
such as former Infrastructure Minister Diosdado Cabello in 
Miranda State, Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) Deputy Tarek 
William Saab in Anzoategui State, and retired National Guard 
General Felipe Acosta Carles in Carabobo State.  MVR Deputy 
Juan Barreto easily won control of the mayoralty of the 
Caracas federal district.  Pro-Chavez Maracaibo Mayor 
Giancarlo DiMartino appeared to have lost in the initial 
report, but subsequent announcements by Maracaibo election 
officials suggested he might yet prevail. 
 
3. (U) On the opposition side, Zulia State Governor Manuel 
Rosales held a commanding lead over retired army general 
Alberto Gutierrez in that state.  Former Nueva Esparta State 
(Margarita Island) Governor Morel Rodriguez beat pro-Chavez 
incumbent Alexis Navarro in that state.  In the Caracas 
federal district, Baruta Mayor Enrique Capriles and Chacao 
Mayor Leopoldo Lopez, both of Primero Justicia, handily won 
their races. 
 
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Opposition Challenges Some Results 
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4. (U) While MVR candidate Diosdado Cabello was giving his 
victory speech for his 52-48% win in Miranda State, Governor 
Enrique Mendoza publicly announced that his count showed 
otherwise.  Mendoza claimed that his tabulation of copies of 
tally sheets showed a 53-47% tilt in his favor.  Cabello said 
Mendoza's reaction is "damaging" to the State and called on 
Mendoza to make his appeal via the courts.  In Carabobo, 
Governor Henrique Salas Feo rejected the CNE's announcement 
and claimed to have a 26% lead over the pro-Chavez candidate. 
 The opposition governors of Bolivar and Yaracuy states, 
Antonio Rojas Suarez and Eduardo Lapi, made similar 
challenges to the CNE results.  According to electoral law, 
state and municipal electoral boards certify the results of 
gubernatorial and mayoral races, respectively, within two 
days after the election.  Once certified, the newly elected 
officials are inaugurated within one to two weeks, depending 
on regulations in each state and municipality. 
 
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Voting Day:  Relative Calm, High Abstention 
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5. (U) Election day was marked by relative calm with only 
sporadic reports of irregularities in voting procedures. 
Preliminary results suggest 60 percent abstention nationwide. 
 In contrast to the endless hours of waiting in line during 
the August 15 presidential recall referendum, voters waited 
no more than 30 minutes.  Fingerprint-capturing computers 
were used at most centers to verify identity of voters and 
did not slow down the voting lines.  The CNE extended voting 
one hour to 5:00 p.m. to accommodate latecomers.  Emboffs 
observed minimal numbers of people in lines at dozens of 
voting centers in Caracas and nearby states.  GOV officials 
repeated throughout the day that abstention rates in regional 
elections are historically high.  Chavez contended to 
reporters after he cast his vote that abstention rates are 
lower than those of the U.S., which sometimes reach 80%. 
 
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GOV Wishes U.S. Well In Nov. 2 Vote 
----------------------------------- 
 
6. (U) During a press conference at his assigned polling 
place, Chavez extolled the transparency of Venezuelan voting 
procedures and the cutting-edge technology used.  Chavez said 
his country's voting system is more transparent, more direct 
than that of the United States, taking a swipe at the U.S. 
Electoral College as an affront to "direct democracy."  Vice 
President Rangel told reporters he hoped U.S. elections would 
be transparent and not leave doubts among the voters. 
 
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Comment 
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7. (C) True to their predictions, the Chavistas have handed 
the opposition a stinging electoral defeat.  We expect a 
similar sweep for Chavez's candidates at the mayoral level. 
Governors Mendoza and Salas may have a chance to pull out a 
victory as more results are reported, but it seems unlikely. 
Abstention rates are only slightly higher than in previous 
regional elections here, making the unusually high turnout in 
the presidential recall referendum look ever more like an 
outlier.  From our informal observation, abstention seemed to 
affect both sides, with opposition voters apathetic after the 
referendum loss and Chavista campaigns suffering from less 
"walking around money" than what was available in the 
referendum. 
 
Brownfield 
 
 
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      2004CARACA03382 - CONFIDENTIAL