Caracas, October 10 (EFE). A little more than a month before regional and local elections, Venezuela tested simulated voting systems, described as successful by the National Electoral Council (CNE), with the participation of the opposition majority and monitoring by national and international organizations, such as the Carter Center.
The President of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of the Caribbean State, Pedro Calzadela, described as successful the day he confirmed that it allowed Venezuelans to learn about the voting system and political parties to test their mechanisms in the face of elections. From November 21.
“Participation in this process far exceeded the expectations we raised, good news, when we go to the elections on November 21,” said the official, who did not elaborate on the number of participants for the day.
The Carter Center, in the exploratory phase
Calzadella noted that the trial was monitored and escorted by national organizations and international guests such as the Carter Center, which is in the country to assess the possibility of deploying an election observation mission.
He added that the Carter Center delegation will leave Venezuela tomorrow and that there is no agreement yet on a monitoring mission, but he hopes to get a positive response in the coming days.
He said, “No agreement has been signed with them (Carter Center) yet, we are only at the beginning of talks. They arrived a few days ago, we have already met and we are in the early stages of talks. Soon, when we have news, I hope it is good news and we will report on it.”
In August 2015, four months before the legislative elections, the Carter Center announced that it was closing its offices and halting its operations in Venezuela, with the intent of focusing its “limited resources on other countries that requested its support.”
The person who confirmed the dispatch of the Election Observation Mission (EOM) is the European Union, a decision that, in principle, was welcomed in the country after the government officially invited it to accompany the elections, good news that initially raised doubts in recent days.
Borrell, the hero of the other day
Shortly after confirming that the Community Bloc would deploy a monitoring mission to Venezuela, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said during a public procedure in Spain that what would “legitimize or legitimize” the government. It will be the content of the final report of the mission, once its work in the country is completed.
Borrell’s words were not liked by the ranks of Chavista, so his statement was met with an outspoken rejection of the ruling party, and even a public apology was requested.
For his part, Calzadella rejected Borrell’s statements and demanded clarification from the European Union about the terms and implications of the high official’s words.
In addition to a question about a possible suspension of the agreement with the community bloc to send an election observation mission, he replied that no decision had been made yet, but the statements of the European politician represented an “ultimatum”.
The Speaker of Parliament, Jorge Rodriguez, also demanded that Borrell comply with the agreement signed with the National Election Commission on the monitoring mission.
Rodriguez said while participating in an election rehearsal.
The opposition declares its irregularity
During the day, members of the opposition and civil organizations denounced various irregularities in the conduct of the exercise, as well as the lack of information from the National Electoral Council, the organizing body.
For her part, the candidate of the unilateral program for the ruler of the Portuguese state, Maria Beatriz Martinez, denounced Chavismo’s use of state resources to mobilize citizens at polling stations in the region.
“Today, October 10, in an electoral simulation in Portuguesa, the ruling party is taking advantage of the state’s public resources to mobilize people to the designated centers. Embezzlement is a crime, and we will continue to denounce irregularities,” he said. On his Twitter account.
Similarly, the Civic Assembly of Venezuela, with various messages on its Twitter account, denounced an early election campaign and the use of state agencies by the Socialist United Party of Venezuela (PSUV) to mobilize citizens at polling stations.
However, the mock electoral board ended at 16:00 (20:00 GMT) without providing further details or incidents.
(c) EFE . Agency
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