VENEZUELA: The Venezuelan opposition obstructs the installation of voting posts for the referendum

By Eglee Ruiz y Sol Santander Saturday August 14, 2004 at 06:38 PM

 soleil_ve@yahoo.com

The measure approved by the National Electoral Council in Venezuela establishes the 14th of August as the day by which all voting centers in the country are to be installed, so that the vote may begin on time at 6:00am on August 15th. For this to occur, it is necessary for all of the members (designated by the CNE) and witnesses (designated by the political and community organizations) to be duly accredited by the corresponding Municipal Electoral Juntas, subordinate organs of the CNE.

During yesterday and the early morning of today, opposition groups have congregated in front of the doors of these Juntas with the goal of obstructing the process and protesting the dismissal of some members by the CNE, as they appear as signatories of the Revocation Referendum against President Chavez, which disqualifies them legally from acting as electoral functionaries, arbiters of the process.

Elsewhere, the principal manager Sobella Mejias, who identifies with the opposition to Chavez's government, has released last night and today numerous statements in the media with the goal of confusing the population, giving instructions that contradict the norms previously established by the directors of the CNE, and which pertain to the session that she gave yesterday night with a frankly provocative attitude, which argued that the process that was being established to solve the deficiencies of members and achieve the installation of the voting places was in violation of the Organic Suffrage Law. This argument is completely false, as it contradicts the reading of the resolution by the CNE on June 30th, 2004.

We consider that such acts constitute indications of the destabilizing spirit of the directors of the opposition, who appear clearly to not want the referendum - that they themselves called - to be carried through.