The PM updates

25/02/2004

Quickly.

The Electoral Board (CNE) has announced that even if there are only 3 out of 5 of them they will continue their sessions and take decisions. This in response to the two that did not attend yesterday as a protest against what is more more seen as an illegal decision of Tuesday. But readers here know that legality in Venezuela is an ethereal concept. The trio of the CNE seems determined to forge ahead. Their reputation probably in shambles why should they care about niceties now? The only thing that matters is the masters approval.

A similar move in the National Assembly where ludicrously the chavista president has suspended pay checks to opposition assemblymen. The reason: they come in, sign the attendance sheet and leave to break up the quorum and stop voting. As if the opposition these days were more worried about a pay check than about stopping the approval of restrictive laws. Please! If I bother mentioning this non-event, it is because it demonstrates once again the almost childish attitude of chavismo at times. Not to mention that it illustrates quite well where their own priorities are: cashing their pay checks and possible pay offs.

Meanwhile, Miriam Kornblith, a noted electoral specialist in Venezuela and the back up of Ezequiel Zamora has just stated that with the present CNE there is no hope for any Recall Election. Not that we did not suspect it, but that she says it with such a matter of fact tone indicates how far the degradation of the CNE atmosphere has come and how far from ANY CLEAN election we are today.