US embassy cable - 05CARACAS2406

C O N F I D E N T I A L  CARACAS 002406 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR CBARTON 
HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, VE 
SUBJECT: CNE PERFORMANCE IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS CONFIRMS 
DISTRUST 
 
 
Classified By: ACTING DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION JOHN S. CREAMER FOR 1.4 ( 
D) 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (C) The National Electoral Council (CNE) showed its 
continued bias in favor of the governing coalition during 
municipal elections on Sunday.  Despite media and opposition 
reports of low turnout, CNE President Jorge Rodriguez 
arbitrarily extended voting hours twice, citing problems in 
some states and CNE information showing a steady stream of 
voters at polls nationwide.  Sumate Vice President Maria 
Corina Machado and Justice First Secretary General Gerardo 
Blyde denounced both extensions as illegal and contrary to 
the observer reports.  Opposition CNE member Sobella Mejia 
said the second extension violated CNE regulations.  While 
voting appeared to proceed smoothly in Caracas, some 
irregularities and technical problems complicated the process 
in various states.  The final results of the elections are 
still pending, but the MVR appears to be winning most seats. 
The CNE's actions highlight the need for credible, 
international observation to ensure fairness and transparency 
in the December legislative elections. End summary. 
 
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CNE Does Its Part for Government Turnout 
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2.  (U)  Despite reports of dismal turnout, National 
Electoral Council (CNE) President Jorge Rodriguez arbitrarily 
extended voting hours twice, the first time for two hours and 
the second time for an additional hour.  Rodriguez based his 
decision on alleged delays in voting that occurred in several 
states, particularly Zulia and Carabobo, and on data from the 
fingerprint machines, which indicated that approximately 
2,800 people were voting per minute late in the afternoon. 
The Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) took advantage of the 
extension to get more of its supporters to the polls. 
Several MVR officials, including President Hugo Chavez, urged 
their supporters to vote and the MVR coalition accelerated 
its Operation Galope-- going door to door to drag more voters 
to the polls.  Approximately 490,000 people were able to vote 
during the extended hours. 
 
3.  (U) The opposition was quick to criticize the decision as 
illegal and suspicious. Sumate Vice President Maria Corina 
Machado said the extensions violated the letter and spirit of 
the Law for Suffrage and Citizen Participation.  Justice 
First Secretary General Gerardo Blyde not only denounced both 
extensions as illegal, but said the estimated voting rate 
used to justify the second extension contradicted what his 
party's observers were reporting.  He feared the CNE would 
use the extensions to illegally inflate the governing MVR 
vote totals.  Even CNE opposition member Sobella Mejias 
denounced the second extension as a violation of CNE 
regulations. 
 
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Minor Irregularities 
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4.  (C) Voting generally went smoothly, despite a few 
problems.  Embassy observers deployed throughout Caracas 
reported few irregularities, while  newspaper, opposition, 
and international observers reported limited problems outside 
the capital.  In opposition-led Zulia state, late or absent 
poll workers were responsible for delays in poll openings. 
In one municipality in Carabobo, MVR officials were accused 
of bussing in voters the night before the election to help 
the local MVR mayoral candidate win. Carabobo Governor Luis 
Acosta Carles also was reported for violating electoral norms 
by congratulating the candidate and predicting an MVR victory 
inside a polling center. The electoral council of one 
municipality in Aragua state was dismissed after several 
irregularities were reported.  Some voters claimed that their 
polling stations were changed without notice or that their 
names did not appear on voting rolls even though they had 
received written confirmation of their voting centers from 
the CNE.  Rodriguez said only a fraction of the voting 
 
 
machines had to be replaced and only five electronic 
notebooks in Nueva Esparta failed. 
 
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Abstention Meets Expectations 
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5.  (U) Preliminary projections indicate abstention levels 
were consistent with previous local elections.  Preliminary 
CNE estimates put the abstention rate at 70 percent. 
Colombian National Electoral Council Vice President Guillermo 
Reyes, an accredited international observer, speculated 
turnout of between 18 and 24 percent.  Emboffs' observations 
in the Caracas area track with Reyes' estimate.  In fact, 
more people were waiting in lines to buy food at local 
markets or to board busses for the beach than to vote.  Poll 
workers told Emboffs they estimated an 80 percent abstention 
rate.  Sumate estimates abstention at 78 percent.  In 
conversations with Emboffs, most non-voters cited 
indifference as their reason for not participating, with only 
a few citing distrust of the CNE. 
 
6.  (U) Still, opposition leaders and most newspapers are 
claiming that so-called record abstention was an indictment 
of the CNE.  Maria Corina Machado hailed the abstention as a 
sign to the world that the CNE lacks credibility. 
International observers accredited by the CNE downplayed the 
high abstention and said that turnout for this election was 
no different than in other Latin American countries' local 
elections.  Some ruling party leaders are consoling 
themselves with the fact that more of their supporters voted 
than the opposition.  Chavista supporter and newspaper 
publisher Servando Garcia Ponce denied that the low turnout 
reflected public distrust of the CNE, noting that Chavistas 
had little reason to fear the CNE and yet many had stayed 
away from the polls. 
 
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MVR Leading the Pack 
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7.  (C) Results continue to trickle in, but observers expect 
a massive MVR victory.  Jesus Suarez, the Accion Democratica 
(AD) Secretary General for Caracas, told poloff the MVR won 
13 municipal positions in Caracas and press reports give MVR 
two mayorships.  AD gubernatorial candidate in Amazonas state 
Bernabe Gutierrez appeared to be leading with 40 percent of 
the vote last night, but Suarez thought Gutierrez would lose 
to the Patria Para Todos (PPT) candidate even if the CNE had 
to resort to trickery.  PJ leader Juan Carlos Caldera told 
poloff that preliminary results indicate PJ won municipal 
seats in Tachira, Zulia, and Falcon states, which is an 
improvement over its showing in 2000 when the party won only 
in Miranda state.  As of this morning, the opposition had 
also registered wins in its strongholds of Baruta, Chacao and 
El Hatillo. 
 
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Comment 
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8.  (C) The outcome of this election was not a surprise. 
With voter participation rates falling well below the 40 
percent called for by President Chavez, it appears the CNE 
tried to inflate turnout by extending voting hours.  Still, 
even the CNE was forced to eventually accept the high 
abstention rate in the face of overwhelming media footage of 
empty voting centers.  Although the CNE's decision to extend 
voting hours does not appear to have had a significant impact 
on the final results, its arbitrary actions in favor of the 
Chavista candidates have reinforced its image as a biased, 
unfaithful arbiter of the electoral process. Its actions 
highlight the need for credible, comprehensive international 
observation of the December legislative elections. 
Brownfield 
 
 
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      2005CARACA02406 - CONFIDENTIAL