Venezuelan Government Releases Evidence that Opposition Planning to not Recognise Election Results

[Catherina]

Venezuelan Government Releases “Evidence” that Opposition is Planning to not Recognise Election Results

By Tamara Pearson

Merida, April 10th 2013 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – This morning United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) leader Diosdado Cabello presented evidence, including phone recordings, documents, and emails, allegedly proving that the opposition has plans to not recognise the 14 April presidential election results.

Cabello played an audio recording of a phone conversation to the public in which Joao Nunes, Capriles’ bodyguard and driver, said that Capriles won’t recognise Sunday’s results if he loses.

In the recorded conversation, which lasts just over a minute, Nunes talks with another person, “Michell”, who says “It’s looking to be full on, man”. Nunes responds, “Man, they’re going to rob it from them in the streets...”. Michell then says, “Looking at it from here, here what they are saying is that he’s not going to recognise [the elections] if he loses... there’s going to be problems, full on problems”.

Cabello also showed an email allegedly sent from Amando Briquet, of Capriles’ campaign team, to Guillermo Salas, member of the organisation Esdata. Esdata has reported on Venezuela’s electoral process since Chavez was elected in 1998, and claims there are “statistical irregularities” by the National Electoral Council (CNE) which “violate the right to elect”.

In the alleged email, dated 6 April this year, Briquet wrote, “...we need everything set out in Washington for checking over by the (Capriles campaign). It's necessary that all documentation is presented internationally if we decide to take the road of not recognizing the results."

Cabello said opposition umbrella group MUD’s secretary, Ramon Aveledo, was involved and that he had requested documentation from Salas “in order to be able to support their decision not to recognise the results”.

Further, Cabello denounced an alleged meeting between the head of private, opposition supporting newspaper, El Nacional, Miguel Otero, with Capriles and Briquet. Cabello accused the three men of meeting in order to “discuss not recognising the elections”.

Finally, Cabello said an organisation called Patriotic Board (Junta Patrotica), which includes Guillermo Salas, signed a document which they sent on 7 April to Vicente Diaz. Diaz is a CNE director known to side more with the opposition. In the document the Patriotic Board allegedly expressed its decision to not recognise the CNE’s reports.

Cabello told press he’d made the information public in “order to guarantee peace; this is a ...warning so that they know we know what they are planning to do”.

Public prosecutor Luisa Ortega also verified that seventeen people have been detained in Sucre, Monagas, and Aragua states for sabotaging the electrical system. Blackouts have been more common over the last two weeks across Venezuela.

“A small group has been sabotaging the electricity system, and that’s why there have been some power outs, but they aren’t the part of the majority of the people, because the people don’t want destabilisation, they want peace,” Ortega said. She informed that the crime of sabotaging the electricity grid is punishable by up to 30 years prison.

According to Wilmer Barrientos, head of strategic command of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces, the seventeen people detained were “caught red-handed” damaging electricity facilities.

In Merida this afternoon, opposition supporters, after a large rally where Capriles spoke, committed various acts of violence in the city. Some of the perpetrators were drunk, and some wore balaclavas, making it likely they were part of the violent Movement 13 group based on Merida's University of Los Andes. They attacked the offices of the goverment youth, INJUVEM, of public radio YVKE Mundial, the state government building and its workers, and various privately owned shops in the centre of the city. The number of injuries is as yet unknown, and the national guard have calmed the situation.

Other events over the last few days have also pointed towards an opposition strategy of destabilisation and not recognising Venezuela’s electoral power.

Yesterday Capriles refused to sign a CNE document of commitment to recognise the election results, instead signing his own document. There he committed to “respect the will of the people” but attacked the CNE for supposedly being “negligent” and “biased” towards the government, and Maduro’s campaign for supposedly “taking advantage of the poor” and using public media.

On Monday, there was some violence and some people were injured, in an upper class suburb of Caracas. According to reports by residents of the area, it now appears that Maduro supporters were attacked by the opposition group JAVU, which then went to the press and blamed “Castro-communists” for the violence.

On Saturday government officials also released a recorded conversation that allegedly reveals the use of “mercenaries” by the Venezuelan opposition to create chaos in the lead up to the elections.

Maduro alleged that the “mercenaries” were already in Venezuela and had three objectives: to sabotage the electrical grid, increase the number of murders, and assassinate Maduro. He alleged that they were coordinated by the Central American right wing, with some sectors of the opposition. He said his information was based on conversations recorded by Venezuela’s intelligence organisations.

Foreign minister Elias Jaua claimed the “mercenaries” are led by a retired colonel of the Salvadoran armed forces, David Koch, and coordinated by Salvadoran right-wing politician Roberto d Áubuisson.



Yesterday Maduro released a photo of one of the supposed mercenaries, Julio Cornejo, and asked the Venezuelan public to inform authorities if they see him.

Published on Apr 10th 2013 at 6.40pm


This work is licensed under a Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives Creative Commons license

http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/8575

[Bacchus4.0]

1. thanks for today's lie, we've all heard it before n/t

s

[sabrina 1]

17. Looks like the government was right. Care to take that back? But then, few are surprised.

Why do you support the Right Wing in Latin America, no democrat I know does.

[ocpagu]

2. Kicking...

... for visibility.

The right wing... always so predictable.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Yes, right-wingers ARE predictable. No doubt there.

Never more comical than when they accuse the good people of being dishonest. If they were dishonest, they'd be right-wingers, of course!

[ocpagu]

5. Now, of course, we'll see the media campaigning...

... to give the presidency to the loser. And we have to watch, since they said they were thinking about throwing the country in a civil war following the anticipated and factless non-recognition by Capriles.

And to think some people dare to claim these clowns are "progressives".

[joshcryer]

8. You insult Capriles, if the audit comes out legit, he will concede.

The fact that he wants an audit is not proof of anything other than that he wants it, simple.

Your twisted logic could've been used in Al Franken's case, in Al Gore's case, and in Kerry's case. Democrats are not known to deny recounts. The most Democrats have done is to sue for impartiality or accuracy in recounts, but I do not know of one instance where they were against a recount.

[Catherina]

11. Well look at the people claiming those clowns are progressive

and there you have your answer.

Anytime a so-called Democrat continuously parots Roger Noriega's talking points, that's all you need to know.


The campaign laying the groundwork to delegitimize President Maduro started weeks ago. The usual suspects, Roger Noriega, Otto Reich, the Miami Mafia, Thor Halvorssen, Larry Diamond, Andres Oppenheimer etc have been hard at work as have their minions.


Check your inbox. I'm sending you an article.

[joshcryer]

4. Wouldn't cheaters make this claim so that if the claim was made...

...it'd be dismissed?

Like you're doing now?

Do you or don't you support a recount?

[ocpagu]

6. Cheaters would. Maduro wouldn't.

If the opposition were able to present any real evidence that there was fraud, I would support a recount.

I doubt it, though.

[joshcryer]

7. I don't think it would be wise to release the actas.

And even then I doubt you'd believe them, you'd just say it was a vast conspiracy.

I think that after some time if no recount happens (increasingly unlikely as even CNE members are calling for a recount, to verify the vote and to force Capriles to concede) they'd release the actas, but I think there will be a recount.

And if the vote is legit I think Capriles will concede.

It's possible his numbers are wrong.

[naaman fletcher]

9. wouldn;t it be normal

in any race this close to have a recount?

[joshcryer]

10. Yep, Kerry should've called for a recount.

He never did. At least Al Gore and Al Franken called for it.

Unfortunately the right wing SCOTUS ruled against Gore.

Fortunately, Franken was proven the winner.

[Catherina]

12. And here comes the OAS, right on cue

The Washington headquartered puppets at the OAS are want a recount too. The OAS is offering their *experts* to recount the votes.
What a farce.

Secretario general de la OEA respalda recuento de votos en Venezuela
Secretario general de la OEA respalda recuento de votos en Venezuela



El secretario general de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA), José Miguel Insulza, expresó este lunes su respaldo a la realización de un recuento de votos en Venezuela, donde Nicolás Maduro ganó las elecciones presidenciales del domingo por una mínima diferencia.

"Sobre la necesidad de realizar una auditoria y un recuento completo de la votación, el Secretario General Insulza expresó su respaldo a esta iniciativa y puso a disposición de Venezuela el equipo de expertos electorales de la OEA", indicó un comunicado de la organización continental con sede en Washington.

http://www.ntn24.com/noticias/secretario-general-de-la-oea-86820

Insulza regrets Venezuela's failure to invite OAS to A14

The secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS) noted that the "great debate today is the extent to which the principles of equity are respected ahead of the election"
EL UNIVERSAL
Wednesday April 03, 2013 02:51 PM

The secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, lamented on Wednesday the decision of the Venezuelan Government of not inviting the multilateral organization to observe the presidential election to be held next April 14. Insulza also expressed concern about the inability of both the Venezuelan Government and the opposition to engage in dialogue.

"Venezuela has not invited us to observe the election," although the OAS institutional system is one "of the best," Insulza told EFE in an interview held in Spain.

...

Venezuela "is a case with different scenarios regarding the use of the Government apparatus to encourage vote in favor of a given candidate. I am really worried about that. I hope that could be solved, yet this is not the only case."

Insulza outlined that he is fully aware of the Venezuelan system and pointed out that the problem was not about the day of the election but how serious would that system be obeyed. The secretary general released such statement regarding the opposition criticism of the "abuse" of the Government in the use of state-owned mass media to support ruling party candidate and acting President Nicolás Maduro.

http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/130403/insulza-regrets-venezuelas-failure-to-invite-oas-to-a14

El secretario general de la OEA, José Miguel Insulza, dijo que los comicios se realizaron "en orden y tranquilidad".




15 abril 2013
12:26 PM ET
La OEA apoya un recuento completo de los votos en Venezuela

(CNNEspañol.com) – El secretario general de la OEA, José Miguel Insulza, apoyó este lunes la idea de realizar un recuento completo de los votos tras la polémica por los resultados de las elecciones de Venezuela realizadas este domingo, en las que el oficialista Nicolás Maduro fue el ganador.

"Frente a los resultados hechos públicos por el Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) al final del día domingo, y luego del anuncio formulado por representantes del gobierno y oposición, sobre la necesidad de realizar una auditoría y un recuento completo de la votación, el Secretario General Insulza expresó su respaldo a esta iniciativa y puso a disposición de Venezuela el equipo de expertos electorales de la OEA, de reconocido prestigio y larga experiencia en esta materia", dijo la OEA en un comunicado.

...


http://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2013/04/15/la-oea-apoya-un-recuento-completo-de-los-votos-en-venezuela/

[Judi Lynn]

15. The US dominates OAS through contributing 60% of its revenue.

You get what you pay for!

OAS' history of acting as a puppet organization stands behind the movement of the Americas south of the US border to seek their own unified organization which concerns their own interests.

The Fate of OAS to be Decided in 2013: Overhaul or Dissolution


The 42 session of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly was to be focused on food security. But it wasn’t the case: the agenda was dominated by other burning issues, the ones the permanent OAS behind the scenes supervisor - the US State Department – tried to neutralize and silence. The forum took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia, the “populist government” of President Evo Morales, an Indian by origin, was the receiving party.

The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América - or ALBA) had accumulated a real strong potential to reject the OAS, so the most sharp speeches were be expected. Not once the ALBA states have said the OAS bureaucracy acted as told by the Empire, it took decisions meeting its interests while ignoring important initiatives of the Latin America and the Caribbean countries. But the most unacceptable thing is using the organization to exert pressure on the member states that refuse to be Washington’s puppets.

~snip~
The same way terror, clandestinely supported by the USA, is exercised against politicians, journalists, social and political “Bolivian style” reforms supporters in Mexico, Central America states, Columbia, Peru, Paraguay. The hatred that the USA feels against ALBA leaders, independent politicians of the continent who didn’t capitulate faced with threats and blackmail, is fraught with new large scale provocations, plots, killings. It cannot be ignored by objectively thinking Latin American politicians.

The President of Ecuador R. Correa warned the OAS leadership in the name of OAS that in case there is no overhaul the American countries would initiate the modernization of the continental institutions themselves. He let know that the forces that have defined the policies of Latin America are “losing now” and the US Department of Colonies – the Organization of American States – “owes a lot” to the Latin American peoples. Correa said the situation dictated changes: “If it’s necessary to abandon the OAS and create our own system, then we have to do it.” – he added.

Actually the process has already started. By the end of 2011 The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños – CELAC) was established bringing together 33 countries of the region. The USA and Canada were not invited even as observers.

http://www.strategic-culture.org/pview/2012/06/15/fate-oas-to-be-decided-in-2013-overhaul-or-dissolution.html

[Catherina]

13. And here comes the White House, right on cue

@Reuters tweeted:
Audit of Venezuela election results would be important, prudent, necessary step: White House #breaking

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/323844954499735553

US says Venezuela vote audit 'necessary step'
Sapa-AFP | 15 April, 2013 19:30

An audit of the results in Venezuela's tightly contested weekend presidential election would be an "important, prudent and necessary step," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday.

Carney's comment came as authorities in Venezuela said acting president Nicolas Maduro would soon formally be proclaimed the winner of Sunday's vote to succeed the late Hugo Chavez, despite calls from his rival for a full recount.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/2013/04/15/us-says-venezuela-vote-audit-necessary-step

[naaman fletcher]

16. Are you against a recount? Nt

[joshcryer]

18. I will answer since you are likely on ignore.

Yes, that poster is against a recount in all forms. That poster is against any sort of concession, even recognizing that half the country voted against chavismo would be an extremely, physically painful thing.

[naaman fletcher]

19. yeah i know

Anyway, reading up on it more, i don't see why anything is needed past the normal procedures for elections in Venezuela.

We have the CNE count. The Acta's, which Capriles should have, should prove if the CNE count is right. The 54% recount should be enough to prove if the machines were haywire.

I have a feeling that Capriles doesn't have shit. If he had Actas that said the CNE count is wrong, and that he won, I would think he should make that clear.

I have a feeling that this was really, really, close, and that perhaps it would have been prudent not to declare a winner yet, but I suspect that Capriles has nothing.

[joshcryer]

20. I'm on the fence.

On one hand it makes no sense for Capriles to claim victory without some hard evidence to those ends. On the other he could at least give the actas result (not necessarily the individual actas), that would alleviate a lot of caprilista fears / uncertainties. If he keeps doubling down that he won (when he doesn't actually have actas to prove it) he may be suicidal or mad.

I think he is calling the CNEs out and trying to de-legitimize the government because of how it went about it (not even including the expat vote in the count, allowing systematic fraud throughout the entire voting period, results possibly not matching here or there). This is what Kerry should've done with Bush in 2004, when we learned of widespread electoral abuses. It's the principle of the matter.

The best thing for the government to do is do the recount.

Regardless, I believe him when he says he will concede if the recount is not in his favor.

[naaman fletcher]

21. It's a no-win situation if the acta's aren't in his favor,

or at least very, very close before the foreign vote. He went into the election know of the massive state resources being brought to bear against him. It just doesn't work out very well to say "I played a rigged game, and now I am contesting the results because it was rigged. But, there is nothing I can do to prove it. Also, had I won such a rigged election I would be claiming legitimacy on behalf of myself"

The fact is that Maduro has to be stunned at how close it was. Capriles could have walked away from this as the champion underdog who came in second (like Rocky in the first Rocky), with the Opposition set to topple them the next time around.

If the Acata's match up with the CNE tile, Capriles is going to come off looking like a monstrous asshole and his career is over.

[joshcryer]

22. Agreed.

And if that's the case he's going to wind up in jail serving a long prison sentence.

[flamingdem]

14. This election has not been mentioned ONCE on msnbc this morning

grrrr