[NYTr] Voting Concludes Peacefully in Venezuela

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Venezuelanalysis - Dec 2, 2007
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/2949


Venezuelan Constitutional Reform Vote Concludes Peacefully

by Gregory Wilpert and Chris Carlson
Venezuelanalysis.com

Caracas and Mérida, December 2, 2007 (venezuelanalysis.com) - Voting on
President Chavez's constitutional reform proposal proceeded normally
today in practically all of Venezuela, with only a very few minor
incidents reported. Most voting stations closed on time, at 4pm, with a
few remain open a bit longer, while those in line finished voting.
Participation appeared to be lower than during last year's presidential
election, but seemed higher than some people had feared it would be.

As has become custom in Venezuela, sound trucks drove through the
streets of the capital Caracas, sounding a wake-up call trumpet at
around 4am, to wake people up to go out to vote. Voting centers opened
at 6am and in many places lines began forming at 5am.

Reports from voting centers indicated that participation was good and
the voting process was relatively fast and smooth, compared to previous
electoral events. Opposition voting center witnesses often claimed,
though, that the indelible ink that voters dip their finger in to mark
that they have voted, was not really indelible, suggesting that voting
more than once might be possible.

Also, technical mishaps occurred in some voting centers, so that some
voting machines did not work, but the Tibisay Lucena, the president of
the National Electoral Council (CNE), said that the percentages of
failing voting machines was within the normal bounds and that they
could be replaced in time, so that only minor delays occurred.

The publication of exit polls or anticipated results, prior to the
first official CNE results, is strictly forbidden by CNE regulations.
Nonetheless, some international news agencies and the rumor mill within
Venezuela raised hopes on both sides that their side was winning.

Nonetheless, both sides began gathering, with Chavez supporters ready
to celebrate outside Miraflores presidential palace and opponents
gathering in the middleclass district of Chacao in Caracas.

The CNE was expected to present its results sometime between 10pm and
11pm. Around 9pm "Yes" campagin spokesperson, Vice-President Jorge
Rodriguez, conceded that the results will be close.

Over 16 million voters were able to cast their vote today on whether
citizens wanted to accept a constitutional reform proposal that
President Chavez had initiated and that had been modified by the
country's National Assembly.

The reform is to change 69 articles of Venezuela's 1999 constitution
and covers a wide variety of issues, ranging from deepening the
country's participatory democracy, strengthening social inclusion,
reorganizing the country's interior political jurisdictions, and
strengthening aspects of the president's powers.

Merida

The electoral process in the city of Merida took place with complete
tranquility and normalcy. Most voters turned out in the early hours of
Sunday morning, when voting centers had some long lines of people
waiting outside, but by mid-morning voting centers had shorter lines of
voters waiting to vote.

In the southern sector of the Pedregosa voters stated that the turnout
seemed to be lower than in other national elections, and by mid-morning
the small lines at voting centers seemed to confirm that. A longer line
of voters outside one voting center explained that voting had been
slightly delayed there due to two broken voting machines, but otherwise
the voting process appeared to be taking place in total normalcy.

Two students from the University of the Andes (ULA) stated that
students were gathering outside the Economics department of the
university to await the results. The Economics department of the ULA
has traditionally been the center of anti-Chavez activity, and is the
home to Movimiento 13, the right-wing opposition group led by Nixon
Morenos, who led violent riots in Merida in 2006 and has teamed up with
the U.S. Embassy to hold political forums at the university.

Although political demonstrations are outlawed on this electoral
weekend, the students gathering at the university this afternoon could
mean that some riots could take place later this evening if the
electoral results do not come out in their favor. One voter stated,
however, that while students of the University of the Andes are
politically active in the city of Merida, many of them are not from the
Merida area, and thus travel to other parts of the country to vote.

The state of Merida has traditionally been one of the zones with the
lowest support for President Hugo Chavez, and barely went in favor of
Chavez in the 2006 presidential elections. The majority of voters in
the city of Merida voted against Chavez in 2006, but the surrounding
rural areas of the state, which have stronger support for him, swung
the total back in favor of the president last December.