VENEZUELA I Witnessed CNE’s Signature Verification Process for recall ref. and none of it made sense
http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2016/06/03/54198/
But the thing that lays CNEs bad faith bare, the thing that broadcasts its voter suppression agenda for all the world, is the insane decision to invalidate the entire form (10 signatures, remember) due to any minor mistake filling out the top of the form.
If Presidente is spelled with a C instead of an S, then the form, and its 10 signatures, is invalid.
If Maduro was written in shoddy cursive, and can thus be read as Madoro, then the form, and its 10 signatures, is invalid.
If as I witnessed on one form the state on the letterhead was written as Libertador, which doesnt match the official name Distrito Capital, then the form, and its 10 signatures, is invalid.
Heres a taster platter of mistakes that got whole forms disqualified:
Shouldnt it be the mandate of the autonomous electoral power to make every effort possible so that the largest number of voters may indeed express their will, despite shitty handwriting and faulty spelling theyve been burdened with by the subpar state education system?
...
Despite the arbitrary invalidation of signatures that CNE achieved during this audit, theres never been any real doubt that MUD has the 197,000 signatures needed for the referendum process to advance, many times over. The entire, byzantine foot-dragging process is as unnecessary as it is undemocratic.
This process of revision finished on Tuesday, May 31st. Thats 29 days longer than the deadline that CNE itself established. MUD could have, should have kept the heat up throughout, running a real-time color commentary on these idiotic shenanigans. It never did. To my mind, they were almost as negligent in airing out CNEs malfeasance as CNE was guilty of perpetrating it.
This is the most advanced electoral system in the world at work: a bizarre, pointless contraption openly designed to suppress peoples political rights.
The CNE has always been biased towards the Chavista regime. Tibisay Lucena, the president of said entity, has been seen numerous times in rallies and events showing her sympathy for the Failed Revolution. The regime is doing everything it can to slow the process for the recall referendum that will undoubtedly NOT be in Maduro's favor, if the last December elections are any indication.