Voting day in Venezuela
Has Chavez last hour come?

Sunday 15, August 2004

My day started at around 5 AM. From the streets I heard voices and it was all dark. People were already waiting in line to go and vote in the school right in front of my bedroom window! I tried to go back to sleep but by 7:30 AM I had to surrender and fix breakfast. The view outside was impressive: a line of people was sneaking around the block!

Watching TV was quite something. Huge lines EVERYWHERE! And problems everywhere also, demonstrating that the Electoral Board, CNE, preparations were not what they were vaunted to be.

However there was something very disturbing. There are reports of people voting SI and getting a NO print out to stick in the ballot box!!! The reporter was saying that up to 10% of the people were experiencing such an event and always people voting SI!!!! Now, I would not be too quick on accepting the 10% claim, but one SI changed in NO (or the reverse if it gets reported) is one event too many!

I did write a few months ago on the possible ways that the government had for cheating during the recall election. On March 28 I wrote:

3- Once you ballot is entered on the screen, the computer prints a small piece of paper. You check if what is printed corresponds to what you entered. If yes, you drop that small piece of paper in a box. This will be the box to audit the election if needed. [snip]

Now, I am not an expert but I can detect plenty of places where fraud can happen.

3-This is where it becomes quite interesting. Two cases.

Case 1: Imagine that you are in an allegedly pro Chavez rough neighborhood, say, El 23 de Enero. You vote against all of Chavez candidates. But your printed paper says that you voted for all of Chavez candidates! Are you going to make a stink knowing full well that leaving the precinct you
will be branded as anti Chavez? [snip]

As it is often the case the readers of this blog get good information and good predictions ;-)

If these news is confirmed and the numbers are significant enough, it is enough to void the election! If some machines have been rigged I bet that a high percentage of them will be those in popular sectors were chavista pressure (or coercion?) is particularly high. As I had been expecting all along, the CNE has done a shoddy job on purpose to shave any votes it can on the SI. And let's not talk about the delays, the digital fingerprinting, etc... But people are undaunted: from my window I was seeing old ladies carrying their little stool or folding chair to sit down while they wait. And in a last check up (it is 9:40 AM) I saw a longer line from my window while an elderly gentleman, barely able to walk with help and a walker is making his way to the head of the line at the school. Gloria al bravo pueblo!

On another topic

This is post number 500!!!!

I take it as a good omen that post 500 will be the first one of August 15. I take it as a sign of good things to come. I will write more later on but right now I will prepare myself to go and vote. I have no idea of the lines and difficulties I will meet so who knows when I will be back on line.

PS: note added after this post was published. Carrasquero, the president of the CNE, has come on TV, almost hysterically, to say that the NO/SI switching is impossible. And accusing a TV station director to propagate the rumor. Indeed... How come I do not feel reassured the least little bit?