VENEZUELA: 90% ABSTENTION IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
Press release from IVCD*
08.08.05 | Venezuelans consider the abstention as an electoral strike to show its rejection of the Chavez-Castro regime. The National Electoral Council (CNE) informed all polling centers would open at the earliest hour on Sunday and offered an extra bonus to those voting center members that showed up on time. Nevertheless, today, Sunday, August 7, most voting centers opened a few hours later because poll members refused to work. To top it all, hardly any voters showed up to vote. Repudiation was evident against the questionable electoral committee, as was the lack of transparency of the process and the preference shown by the government towards its own candidates.
In the morning, the electoral committee announced that the election was successful and attendance normal. However, if you check the following site, you will see the real turnout. Very few voting centers were operational and attendance minimal. In the oil state of Zulia, as well as in other parts of the country the situation was similar. Our reports showed 90% of abstention in many states.
Even though the electoral campaign had officially ended the day before, at noon, President Chávez voted and used the opportunity to give a press conference for over an hour. The electoral strike prevails all over Venezuela; the mass media has been showing images of people enjoying their free time instead of lining up to vote. Today Venezuelans sent a clear message of discontent to Hugo Chávez and his government and to the electoral body: Venezuelans consider the CNE illegitimate and do not recognize it.
*International Venezuelan Council for Democracy (IVCD) is a non-profit organization working to strengthen Venezuelan Democracy. IVCD will work in a global network with other organizations and volunteer experts, alongside government and non-governmental organizations in defense of Venezuelan human, political, and civil rights, in an effort to advance democratic values and institutions, safeguard elections and promote citizen participation, openness and accountability in government, in accordance to the principles established and agreed upon in the Democratic Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS). IVCD is a civil and independent organization with no affiliation to political parties. P. O. Box 1251 . Loveland, CO 80538-1251 . Phone: 1-888-291-2093 publicaffairs@ivcdteam.org
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