Venezuela Election Agency to Audit Recall Results, Carter Says

[cal04]

Venezuela's National Electoral Council will conduct an audit of Sunday's recall vote on President Hugo Chavez to address opposition allegations of fraud, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said.

Chavez, 50, won the referendum 58 percent to 42 percent, based on 94.5 percent of the vote counted, council President Francisco Carrasquero said at a press conference in Caracas yesterday.

The council will do a manual audit of returns from 150 voting centers and compare the results with those from automatic voting machines, Carter said at a press conference in Caracas. The audit will be monitored by international observers, and officials from the government and opposition, which is led by Miranda State Governor Enrique Mendoza and Julio Borges, national coordinator for the First Justice Party. Carter, who was among international observers monitoring the vote, reiterated his statement from yesterday that the results coincided with observers' own counts. He said the audit should be completed tomorrow or Thursday.

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?
pid=10000087&sid=aDwHTzeSjRLo&refer=top_world_news


The opposition was in a shambles after 58 percent of voters in Sunday's referendum rejected a measure to end Chavez's term in office. Some opposition politicians insisted on demanding a recount, but others suggested they accept the defeat and move on.

Addressing opposition charges, the National Elections Council agreed Tuesday to conduct a partial audit of the results, Nelson Rampersad, an opposition representative on the council, told The Associated Press. The U.S.-based Carter Center and the Organization of American States were to help with the audit, he said. The audit will compare the results produced by touch-screen voting machines and paper receipts of each vote at 150 polling stations, Rampersad said. No date for the audit was set.The audit came at the request of the OAS and Carter Center, the OAS official said. Earlier Tuesday, OAS Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria said an audit would help calm the country.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBBPKZM0YD.html

[Vladimir]

1. Nothing like an audit to rub it it... n/t

[denverbill]

2. Wish we could do that in Florida, in 2000, and even in 2004.

But alas, we can't afford a decent reliable system.

[cal04]

7. very same people who wouldn't let

us do that in 2000 are probably the ones behind this
I would have loved for Chavez to say, Bush when they audit yours they can audit mine

[Massacure]

9. Bullshit.

If we can spend $87 billion on Iraq, we can afford Electronic Voting that leaves a paper trail.

[scarletwoman]

3. Will the opposition crybabies stop whining once the audit is complete?

I'm confident that the audit will simply confirm the initial results. So what will the spoiled, selfish elite do next?

sw

[daleo]

4. They will say the audit needs to be audited

And then that one needs to be audited as well...

Eventually they would hope to goad Chavez into overreacting. He has shown admirable restraint.

[scarletwoman]

10. Chavez has so far shown himself to be remarkedly astute.

I have no idea how to coherently explain how excited and hopeful this vote in Venezuela has made me feel. At the risk of sounding quite insane, I must say that all Sunday night/Monday morning my dreams were all about the voting in Venezuela. I woke up yesterday (Monday, 8/16) morning *knowing* that the recall had failed, and failed decisively.

As has been said by Arundhati Roy and others, there is another "superpower" in the world, and that is, THE PEOPLE.

For me, the vote in Venezuela is a living example of this other superpower. It gladdens my heart...

sw

[daleo]

17. Yes it was a very hopeful sign

It proves what can happen when the majority is energized and has an alternative that truly speaks for it and has access to an honest election.

[tlcandie]

6. I absolutely LOVE your prayer wheel!!!!! eom

[scarletwoman]

8. Thanks -- I must hastily admit that I "stole" it from someone else on DU

So please grab it from me if you really love it -- I figure the more prayer wheels spinning the better!

Peace,
sw

[tlcandie]

5. My only question is this....

Is the audit being supervised as well? If not, katy-bar-the-door!

[scarletwoman]

11. I believe that Carter and OAS and such are monitoring the audit.

I refuse to worry. The power of the People is rising, the power of the elites is in disarray.

There are many more battles to come -- however, it is a good thing, imho, to take heart from this victory in Venezuela. Hope is a precious thing, I do not take it lightly.

sw

[The Magistrate]

15. It Is Excellent News, Ma'am!

A stirring illustration of the power of the people channelled through real democracy, once set free by a reason to hope for success. There is going to be more and more of this throughout the world in coming years....

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[cal04]

12. Update from the BBC

Jimmy Carter, the former US president who has been observing the poll, said such charges were unwarranted. But a random check will be held on Wednesday in the presence of monitors. The preliminary results... show that President Chavez received the support of the majority of voters

Opposition leaders say they have proof of irregularities but have yet to come up with much in the way of concrete evidence, the BBC's James Menendez reports from the capital, Caracas. 'No reason for doubt'
Announcing the audit, Mr Carter told journalists that he and the Organization of American States had suggested the move to allay fears over the validity of the result.


Paper and electronic returns will be compared at random
Doubts were raised over the accuracy of the electronic voting machines used for the first time on Sunday. Mr Carter said the electronic results of a sample of 150 machines would be checked against the paper record of each vote in the presence of international observers and witnesses from both the opposition and the government. "The results... should be sufficient to address the remaining concerns that have been expressed by the opposition," said Mr Carter. He stressed that he himself had "no reason to doubt the integrity of the electoral process or the accuracy of the referendum itself".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3575146.stm

[Endangered Specie]

13. $5 says that it will end up in the SCOTUS

[cal04]

16. Steve Bell

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,1284404,00.html

[ChavesWorshipper]

14. Nonsense! Chaves has a mandate!!!

He won big and his plan for true and honest socialism will prevail. He worked hard to implement his plan for fair redistribution of wealth and
it will help bring equality among the citizens of his country.

I look for Chavez to rule his people for as long or longer than the great Fidel Castro!!! Viva Socialism!