Venezuelan presidential election, 2006

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela held presidential elections on 3 December 2006, to choose a president for the six-year term to begin on 10 January 2007. With 98.29% of the polling stations counted, incumbent president Hugo Chávez was re-elected with 62.87% of the votes.cite web |title= |publisher=Consejo Nacional Electoral |title=Resultados Electorales|date=2006-12-04 |url=http://www.cne.gov.ve/divulgacionPresidencial/resultado_nacional.php |accessdate=2006-12-04 ]

Main candidates

*Hugo Chávez,president, representing the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR).
*Manuel Rosales, governor of Zulia, representing A New Era ("Un Nuevo Tiempo").

International observers

Accepted by Venezuelan Electoral Council

*Carter Center [Terra. [http://actualidad.terra.es/nacional/articulo/observadores_ue_tendran_plena_libertad_1211773.htm Observadores de la UE tendrán plena libertad en las elecciones.] (15 November 2006), Accessed 17 November 2006.es icon]
*European Union ["El Universal" 15 November 2006 [http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/11/15/elecc_ava_15A804009.shtml CNE y Unión Europea firman memorando de entendimiento para observación internacional] Retrieved 15 November 2006 es icon]
*Mercosur ["Globovision" [http://www.globovision.com/news.php?nid=42296 Mercosur enviará misión de observación a elecciones de Venezuela] Retrieved 27 November 2006 es icon]
*Organization of American States ["El Universal" 23 November 2006 [http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/11/23/elecc_ava_23A807029.shtml OEA se compromete a señalar "cualquier anomalía" que detecte en el proceso electoral] Retrieved 23 November 2006es icon]

Declined by Venezuelan Electoral Council

*Cortes Generales (Spanish parliament) ["El Universal" 29 November 2006 [http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/11/29/elecc_art_93610.shtml Parlamentarios españoles lamentan su ausencia el 3D] Retrieved 29 November 2006es icon] ["Terra" 29 November 2006 [http://actualidad.terra.es/nacional/articulo/venezuela_rechaza_mision_observadores_espanoles_1240004.htm Venezuela rechaza misión observadores españoles en elecciones] Retrieved 29 November 2006es icon]

Primary election

Civil society organization "Súmate" recommended procedures for a primary, to be held on 13 August 2006, to choose the opposition candidate for the December 2006 presidential elections. [http://buscador.eluniversal.com/2006/07/08/en_pol_art_08A740643.shtml Súmate announced primaries for August 13th.] "El Universal" (7 July 2006).] Teodoro Petkoff, a Chávez critic, said that "Súmate's" procedure was authoritarian, comparing it to the Carmona Decree. [ [http://buscador.eluniversal.com/2006/07/07/en_pol_art_07A740517.shtml Teodoro Petkoff refuses to run in primaries.] "El Universal" (7 July 2006).] Nine other candidates agreed to the terms for holding a primary, confirming their desire to allow the citizens to choose the opposition candidate. Another candidate condemned Petkoff's remarks against "Súmate", saying that Petkoff's statements did not help the country, and explaining that the conditions for holding a primary had been previously discussed between all of the candidates, including Petkoff. [ [http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/07/07/pol_ava_07A740449.shtml Froilán Barrios condenó expresiones de Petkoff.] "El Universal" (7 July 2006). es_icon] On 9 August, "Súmate" announced that the 13 August primary election would not be held, since the candidates had decided to back Manuel Rosales as the single opposition candidate. Machado said that the primary "initiative accomplished its goal and that "Súmate" would continue working to ensure clean elections and respect for citizens' rights." [ [http://english.eluniversal.com/2006/08/09/en_pol_art_09A762463.shtml Súmate: there will be no primary elections.] "El Universal" (8 August 2006).]

Campaign platforms

Chávez

Chávez's campaign manager Rafael Lacava said that the campaign was to be based on defending Venezuela's national sovereignty and promoting world peace. According to "Unión Radio", Lacava added that a campaign theme was to be the "country's freedom to no longer be a North American colony". [Unión Radio. [http://www.unionradio.com.ve/Noticias/Noticia.aspx?NoticiaId=178792 Campaña de Chávez estará basada en la defensa de la soberanía.] (21 August 2006) Retrieved 21 August 2006. es icon]

According to the Associated Press, Chávez launched his campaign "with warnings that Washington is trying to undermine December's presidential vote and destabilize Venezuela", saying "I am the candidate of the revolution and without a doubt I am the candidate of the national majority," dismissing other candidates as "tools of the U.S. government".Barbour, Scott. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-08-12-venezuela-chavez_x.htm Venezuela's Chavez launches campaign for re-election.] "Associated Press" (12 August 2006).] "El Universal" reports that Chávez said, "In this electoral process there are two candidates only, namely Hugo Chávez and George W. Bush." [http://english.eluniversal.com/2006/08/18/en_pol_art_18A768253.shtml Chávez: "10 million vote goal is hard to attain".] "El Universal" (18 August 2006).]

Chávez promised that, if elected, he would personally convoke a midterm recall referendum in the year 2010 without the need for petition signatures as was the case with the 2004 recall referendum. This consult would allow the voters of Venezuela to remove him from his post. He has said that if he won that recall referendum, he would then call for a referendum to ask the people for indefinite re-election to be put into the constitution. [Government of Venezuela. [http://www.abn.info.ve/go_news5.php?articulo=60305&lee=1 Chávez anuncia que convocará su referéndum revocatorio de mandato.] (1 September 2006) Retrieved 2 September 2006. es_icon]

On 26 November Chávez made his final rally in Caracas; it was called "The Red Tide takes Caracas". Reuters estimated that hundreds of thousands participated. [ [http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-11-26T225208Z_01_N26404107_RTRUKOC_0_US-VENEZUELA-ELECTION-CHAVEZ.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=%E2%88%A9=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2 Chavez vows to beat the "devil"] Retrieved 27 November 2006] Chávez supporters packed several streets.

Rosales

Rosales said that the backbone of his government program was to be the social arena, saying it will be a "sound and well defined" program, including a "fair allocation of oil revenues by means of two axesndash minimum wage for all unemployed and direct contribution to the underprivileged". [http://english.eluniversal.com/2006/08/09/en_pol_art_09A762409.shtml Rosales's candidacy formally announced.] "El Universal" (9 August 2006).] The latter being promoted as "Mi Negra" which is a debit card handed out to the poor with monthly deposits from 20% of oil industry profits. Nevertheless, a poll shows 59% of the Venezuelan people rejected the "Mi Negra" program, preferring stable jobs. ["El Nacional" [http://www.el-nacional.com/entrevistas/Detalle.asp?IdEntrevista=44&IdEntrevistado=33 59% de los venezolanos reprueban plan Mi Negra] Retrieved 2 June 2006 es icon] According to the "Los Angeles Times", Rosales stated that Chávez was vulnerable on his "massive foreign aid programs, government-approved takeovers of land and buildings, and the perception that crime is increasing". Rosales said, "We will distribute land to the peasants, but we will buy it in such a way as to respect the principle of private property, just as we will respect those of human rights and social justice." Rosales would halt oil giveaways, "including sales of discounted oil to Cuba, until Venezuela reduced its high poverty rate."Kraul, Chris. [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-venez10aug10,1,3000051.story?coll=la-headlines-world Chavez's Foes Cancel Primary, Line Up Behind One Candidate.] "Los Angeles Times" (9 August 2006).]

The Associated Press reports that Rosales accuses Chávez of "overspending on a military buildup" and pledged "to use Venezuela's oil wealth to help the poor and improve education and health care", ridiculing Chávez's "claims of a possible war with the U.S." and saying, "Venezuela's real war should be against rampant street crime."Sanchez, Fabiola. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/10/ap/world/mainD8JD8CG81.shtml Rosales opposition choice to face Chavez.] "Associated Press" (10 August 2006).]

Rosales held several large rallies around the country; the largest being "Las Avalanchas" in Caracas. [Bloomberg. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4801521.stm Mass Venezuela opposition rally] (8 October 2006). Accessed 02 November 2006.] Rallies were held in several states to try and get the Rosales campaign to be heard by as many people as possible. To close his election campaign, Manuel Rosales held a huge final rally in Caracas with an estimate by the Associated Press to be in the hundreds of thousands. ["Associated Press" [http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/11/25/chavez.protest.ap/index.html Anti-Chavez protesters march en masse in Caracas] Retrieved 27 November 2006]

Debate

Rosales demanded a public debate, saying Chávez should choose the TV channel where the debate would be broadcast. He also said "I am waiting for him (Chávez) to have a debate with me broadcast by all the TV channels to allow Venezuelans to know what is the project and the vision of the country he has and the project and vision we have".

Chávez declared he would not debate Rosales because "the candidates from the opposition do not even have the condition to debate a schoolboy or girl in sixth grade from a Bolivarian school". ["Prensa Latina." [http://www.prensalatina.com.mx/article.asp?ID=%7BD6A6A298-3337-430B-8F42-806830DC20FF%7D) Debate centra campaña opositora en Venezuela.] (24 October2006). Accessed 28 November2006.es icon] [Globovision. [http://www.globovision.com/news.php?nid=40842 Candidato Chávez aseguró que candidatos de la oposición no tienen condiciones para un debate.] (22 October2006). Accessed 28 November2006.es icon]

Campaign slogans and ads

Chávez

Chávez launched his campaign with a slogan of "10 Millones de votos" (10 million votes), ["El Universal" ("El Universal" 29 October 2006) [http://www.eud.com/2006/10/29/pol_art_50150.shtml Caravana del oficialismo en Caracas] Retrieved 11 November 2006 es icon "y el slogan de los diez millones de votos."] On multiple occasions the campaign used the more combatitive "10 millones por el buche" (10 million votes down their throats). [http://www.vtv.gob.ve/Actualidades.php?IdActualidad=3883 "Comando Miranda juramentado como frente anti-imperialista".] "Venezolana de Televisión-Ministerio de Comunicación e Información" (17 August 2006). es_icon ] On 17 August 2006, while leading the oath at the national campaign headquarters (Commando Miranda), Chávez acknowledged that 10 million votes would be hard to attain. [http://www.vtv.gob.ve/Actualidades.php?IdActualidad=3883 "Comando Miranda juramentado como frente anti-imperialista".] "Venezolana de Televisión-Ministerio de Comunicación e Información" (17 August 2006). es_icon ] [http://english.eluniversal.com/2006/08/18/en_pol_art_18A768253.shtml Chávez: "10 million vote goal is hard to attain".] "El Universal" (18 August 2006).] The 10 Million votes slogan remained popular as symbolic of the desire of Chávez supporters to not just win, but win by a wide margin to prevent accusations from Rosales supporters that fraud was used to win the election.Fact|date=February 2007

From 9 October, Chávez campaign used the slogans "por amor" (for love) and "Chávez, victoria de Venezuela" (Chávez, Venezuela's victory). They also used the slogan "uh, ah, Chávez no se va" (ooh, oh, Chávez won't go) from the 2004 recall referendum campaign. [El Tiempo. [http://www.eltiempo.com.ve/noticias/default.asp?id=89441 El presidente Hugo Chávez es ahora amoroso y azul.] (12 October 2006). Accessed 29 October 2006. es icon] [The Guardian. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/story/0,,1924785,00.html The new-look Chávez: lover, people's poet, electioneer.] (18 October 2006). Accessed 29 October 2006.] A poll made by the firm "Cifras Escenarios" reported that 76.7% of Venezuelans liked the love message. [Terra. [http://actualidad.terra.es/internacional/articulo/hugo_chavez_venezolanos_aprueba_mensaje_1156570.htm El 76,7 por ciento de los venezolanos aprueba el 'mensaje de amor' de Hugo Chávez.] (22 October 2006). Accessed 29 October 2006 es icon ] The English translation of the message is as follows:

cquote|Always, I have done everything out of love.For the love of trees and rivers, I became a painter.For the love of knowledge, studies, I left my dearest village, to study.For the love of sports I became a ball player.For the love of the motherland I became a soldier.For the love of the people I became President, you made me President.I have ruled these years out of love.For love we did Barrio Adentro.For love we did Mission Robinson.For love we did Mercal.We have done everything for love.There is a lot left to do. I need more time.I NEED YOUR VOTE. YOUR VOTE FOR LOVE.

Rosales

"Atrévete con Manuel Rosales" is the Rosales campaign slogan. [ [http://www.atreveteconmanuelrosales.com/ "Atrévete con Manual Rosales".] Accessed 25 August 2006.]

"¡Ni el imperio, ni el barbudo!" (Neither the [U.S.] empire, nor the [Cuban] bearded one!) is a slogan used by Rosales in launching his campaign, intended to "hit Chávez where the Venezuelan "comandante" is most vulnerable: his penchant for giving away billions of dollars to foreign countries, while nearly half of the Venezuelan people live in poverty" referring to subsidized oil deals to both Cuba and the United States. "We are not going to be the empire's defenders," Rosales said. "The empire must respect our sovereignty, and we must respect the empire," and "we cannot be looking at societies like Cuba as a model to be copied. We want modernity, transformation, development."

Other candidates

The ballot was the largest in Venezuelan history which, according to "El Universal", is explained by division among adherents to grassroots "Chavismo". [ [http://english.eluniversal.com/2006/08/25/imp_en_pol_art_25A771021.shtml Heading for presidential elections.] "El Universal" (25 August 2006).]

*Pedro Aranguren of "Movimiento Conciencia de País".
*Jesús Caldera Infante*, the former president of FOGADE, representing the New Progressive Alliance. On 29 November, he withdrew his candidacy and backed Rosales. ["El Universal" 29 November 2006 [http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/11/29/elecc_ava_29A809581.shtml (03:47 PM) Caldera Infante se retira y apoya candidatura de Rosales] Retrieved 29 November 2006es icon]
*Lucrecia Carolina Contreras de León, independent.
*Venezuela Portuguesa Da Silva Isquierdo of "Nuevo Orden Social".
*Ángel Irigoyen, of Let Us Break Chains (RC).
*Isbelia León, of the Strength and Peace Institution.
*Benjamín Rausseo* a stand-up comedian, endorsed by the newly formed "PIEDRA" party. Three weeks before the election, in accordance with a campaign pledge he had made earlier (to stand down if not placed first or second in the opinion polls), he withdrew his candidacy without endorsing either Chávez or Rosales, telling his supporters to vote for either. ["Terra" [http://actualidad.terra.es/nacional/articulo/dimite_rosales_chavez_1212560.htm Dimite opositor que figuraba en encuestas tras Rosales y Chávez] Retrieved 15 November 2006es icon]
*Luis Reyes of Joven.
*Homer Rodríguez, of For Love of Venezuela.
*Carmelo Romano Pérez, Liberal United People Movement.
*Judith Salazar of HP.
*Alejandro José Suárez Luzardo of the "Partido Sentir Nacional".
*José Tineo, Venezuelan Third Millennium National Party.
*Eudes Vera Tovar, independent.

*Resigned.

Endorsements

Chávez

(*) Technical tie

(+) Results are political segmentation, not voter intention ["Diaz, Sara" ("El Universal" 05 November 2006) [http://noticias.eluniversal.com/2006/11/05/pol_art_58740.shtml La última palabra en las elecciones la tienen los indecisos] Retrieved 25 November 2006 es icon "Keller afirma que fue mal interpretado cuando explicó que el tamaño del mercado de Chávez es de 52% mientras que el de Rosales es de 48%: "No me refería a la intención de voto sino a la segmentación política"]

(++) This poll was attributed to the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. University's authorities clarified that they have not knowledge about this study. One of members of the CEPS happen to be a university faculty.

(+++) Publisher does not mention polling company.

International markets

International markets largely saw a Chávez victory. Rafael de la Fuente of BNP Paribas stated "The market expects a Chávez victory, they don't even question it". Ricardo Amorim of WestLB Research "The vision I see is that of a 20 point victory... We would be surprised if he does not win". Patrick Esteruelas of Euroasia Group saw Chávez winning by 60 percent. Also arguing that a high turnout would benefit Chávez, Goldman Sachs dismissed the close polling arguing, "Chávez is the favorite to win the election due to vast control of logistical and financial state resources, and influence over key institutions". [ [http://politica.eluniversal.com/2006/11/21/eco_ava_21A806171.shtml Sondeos reflejan que mercados foráneos dan por sentado triunfo de Chávez] , "El Universal". Retrieved 21 November 2006 es icon]

Election day timeline

Polling stations opened at 6:00 a.m. but newspaper "El Universal" reported that in some electoral centers, voters waited in line since 3:00 a.m.cite news|title=Comenzó a tempranas horas proceso de votación|publisher=El Universal|date=2006-12-03|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/12/03/elecc_ava_03A810887.shtml|accessdate=2006-12-03|language=Spanish] According to the National Electoral Council(CNE) director Humberto Castillo, the turnout in polling stations was massive, and the conditions were "normal" throughout the country.cite news|title=Massive turnout in polling stations|publisher=El Universal|date=2006-12-03|url=http://english.eluniversal.com/2006/12/03/en_pol_art_03A810995.shtml|accessdate=2006-12-03] Polling station were scheduled to close at 4:00 p.m. Around 5 p.m., CNE president Tibisay Lucena officially announced the end of the voting process, but gave orders to keep polling stations open if voters still remained in line.cite news|title=CNE declara fin oficial del proceso de votación|publisher=El Universal|date=2006-12-03|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/12/03/elecc_ava_03A811117.shtml|accessdate=2006-12-03|language=Spanish]

Rosales' campaign team denounced irregularities in the closing of some voting booths, saying that "Plan República"—the armed forces sent to guard the electoral process—would not let some electoral centers be closed even though no voters remained in line.cite news|title=Comando de Rosales denuncia que Plan República impide cierre de mesas|publisher=El Universal|date=2006-12-03|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/12/03/elecc_ava_03A811157.shtml|accessdate=2006-12-03|language=Spanish] Rosales' spokesman also alerted about the reopening of already closed centers.cite news|title=Comando Rosales denuncia reapertura forzada de mesas cerradas|publisher=El Universal|date=2006-12-03|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/12/03/elecc_ava_03A811169.shtml|accessdate=2006-12-03|language=Spanish] CNE member Vicente Díaz later reaffirmed that all polling stations without voters in line must be closed, and that no booths under any circumstances could be reopened.cite news|title=Rector Díaz: Toda mesa que no tenga electores en la cola debe estar cerrada|publisher=El Universal|date=2006-12-03|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/12/03/elecc_ava_03A811167.shtml|accessdate=2006-12-03|language=Spanish]

Results

The 29 January2007 report from the CNE showed the following results:

Reactions

Shortly after the first set of partial results was broadcast on the night of the election, Hugo Chávez showed up in the "Balcón del Pueblo" (Spanish for The People's Balcony) in the presidential palace to celebrate his victory and address his followers. Chávez announced that a new era has started in Bolivarian development, focused in the expansion of the Bolivarian Revolution.cite news|title=Chávez: El reino del socialismo es el reino del futuro venezolano|publisher=El Universal|date=2006-12-03|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/12/03/elecc_ava_03A811271.shtml|accessdate=2006-12-04|language=Spanish]

That same night, Manuel Rosales made a brief speech to the nation, recognizing that he had been defeated. But he insisted that the two exit poll studies his supporters had made, and the results of the audits, showed a narrower difference between him and Chávez than was reported by Lucena.cite news|title=Rosales reconoce triunfo de Hugo Chávez|publisher=El Universal|date=2006-12-03|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/12/03/elecc_ava_03A811317.shtml|accessdate=2006-12-03|language=Spanish] Rosales said in his speech that he and his supporters "will be in streets to prove that the results by the National Electoral Council are not correct, that the gap is narrower that what presented."cite news|title=Rosales: El margen de diferencia de los resultados es más pequeño|publisher=El Nacional|date=2006-12-03|url=http://el-nacional.com/Articulos/DetalleArticulo.asp?idSeccion=64&id=93586|accessdate=2006-12-04|language=Spanish]

Electoral audits

Even though a fair number of international observers were present, the CNE instituted an open and public series of audits of the vote results. Each one of the 11,118 automated polling places was equipped with multiple high-tech touch-screen DRE voting machines, one to a "mesa electoral", or voting "table". In total, 32,331 voting machines were in use country-wide. After the vote is cast, each machine prints out a paper ballot, or VVPAT, which is inspected by the voter and deposited in a ballot box belonging to the machine's table. The voting machines perform in a stand-alone fashion, disconnected from any network until the polls close."Consejo Nacional Electoral" [http://www.cne.gov.ve/elecciones/presidencial2006/documentos/ManualPresidencial2006.zip Manual Operativo para Miembros, Secretaria o Secretario de Mesa Electoral] Retrieved 28 November 2006 es icon] Voting session closure at each of the voting stations in a given polling center is determined either by the lack of further voters after the lines have emptied, or by the hour, at the discretion of the president of the voting table.

Tally scrutinization

After the polls close at any voting table, the following event are performed step by step.
*The DRE voting machine is ordered to close the voting session.
*Tally scrutinization announced.
*Each voting machine prints an original tally sheet, each has a voter total and the number of votes cast for each candidate cast in that particular machine/table.
*Each voting machine is connected to the network and the results are sent to the vote counting center.
*Nine extra tally sheets are printed and distributed to the staff and the six representatives of the candidates that received the most votes.
*With the original tally sheet in hand the total number of votes cast is compared to the signed up sheet or electoral notebook. Finally, for those machines chosen for the audit (see below) the electoral ballots, or paper trails, are counted one by one to determine if they add up to the totals in the tally sheet. Any anomaly is mentioned in the tally sheet report, signed by the staff and auditors, and then sealed and given to the military for delivery to the CNE.

Source CNE

Random paper ballot audit

Once the tally scrutinization is complete the staff proceeds to perform a random paper ballot audit of 54.31% of the machines. Each voting center can have anywhere from one to twelve voting machines, occasionally up to fifteen. The staff randomly selects the tables/machines by drawing a number out of a paper hat. The size of the draw is dependent on the number of tables/machines.

Source CNE

Source CNE

The following procedure occurs step by step

* Polls closed
* Tally scrutinization finishes
* Random paper ballot audit announced
* The machines are randomly selected drawing numbers out of a paper hat
* The machine's serial number is recorded
* The corresponding paper ballot box is selected and opened
* The paper ballots results for each candidate are openly counted
* With the original tally printed from the electronic results, both results are audited
* Any anomaly (even if by one vote) is recorded in the audit report
* The original audit report is signed by staff and observers, officially sealed and handed to the military for delivery to the CNE
* Copies are handed over to the representatives of the two highest vote getters.

Source CNE

Concerns over the Electoral Registry

Opposition candidates and political parties have voiced concerns over the possible inaccuracies of the national electoral registry. Previous elections have shown that there might be a great number of deceased people still on the records. The CNE has audited the Registry on multiple occasions; the first occurred in early 2006 by IIDH-CAPEL (Costa Rican Human Right org) that concluded there was nothing found that delegitimized the registry. [ [http://www.abn.info.ve/elecciones2006/RESULTADOS%20AUDITORIA%20CAPEL.pdf Auditoria internacional del Registro Electoral] Retrieved 5 November 2006 es icon] A second review process started in mid-2006 where the CNE asked all the public universities of Venezuela to conduct also an external review of the electoral registry. However, the review project presented by the Central University of Venezuela, Simón Bolívar University and the Andrés Bello Catholic University was rejected by the CNE. One of the proposed methods by these institutions was comparing census data with the electoral registry.Pereira, Javier. "Detectaron inconsistencias demográficas entre los votantes mayores de 45 años". "El Nacional" (25 June 2006) p. A-2. es_icon] They nevertheless ran their audit in parallel and the representative of the three institutions José Miguel Bernardo concluded "In practice [these errors] do not favor the government and their distribution is uniform.""Willpert, Gregory" ("Venezuela Analysis" 22 July 2006) [http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=2018 Preliminary Results of Venezuela’s Voter Registry Audit Show No Intent for Fraud] Retrieved 5 November 2006] A second mathematician involved in the audit, Raúl Jiménez, concluded "One must be responsible. The electoral registry is a disaster and the CNE has done nothing to improve it, but there is nothing to indicate a political intention in the anomalies."

The CNE performed the third audit with the aid of seven other public universities and with the Carter Center and two senators from the Belgian parliament observing the audit.The senators were Jacinta de Roeck, independent, and Sfia Bouarfa, from the French-speaking Socialist Party. [ [http://sfiabouarfa.typepad.com/mon_weblog/2006/08/mission_dobserv.html Sfia Bouarfa: Mission d'observation au Venezuela ] ]

In June 2006, a privately funded preliminary study by Genaro Mosquera, a statistics professor at the Central University and member of the political party Democratic Action, [ [http://www.globovision.com/news.php?nid=35002 INFORME DEL COMITÉ EJECUTIVO NACIONAL (C.E.N.) AL COMITÉ DIRECTIVO NACIONAL (C.D.N.) 07 DE AGOSTO DE 2006.] Globovisión (13 August 2006). es_icon] claimed that in the last three years the registry grew 27% compare to a population growth of only 7.3% during those years and also a much larger growth than the regular increasse of the registry of 12% every five years between 1948 and 2000. On of the flagship government Bolivarian Missions was Mission Identidad, where roughly 5 million citizens were awarded an ID card and the right to register and vote. [ [http://www.misionvenezuela.gov.ve/11Identidad/11Derechoexistir.htm Mission Identidad] Retrieved 11 November 2006 es icon "La Misión IDENTIDAD, uno de los más recientes beneficios sociales, posibilitó cedular a 5 millones 76 mil personas, de ellos más de 600 mil venezolanos e inmigrantes extranjeros con muchos años en el país obtuvieron por primera vez su cédula de identidad, primera condición para convertirse de excluidos en ciudadanos, con derecho a participar en procesos electorales, y a existir como personas."] Also, by comparing the official population numbers provided with by the Office of National Statistics with the CNE registry, there seems to be more register voters of 45 years of age and over than actual population.

According to NGO "Ojo Electoral" (Electoral Eye) preliminary results of a comparison between the Electoral Registry and demographic projections of the National Institute of Statistics (INE) suggests that inconsistencies in the voter data base cannot modify the results of the election. [El Universal. [http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/08/19/pol_art_19104C.shtml Ojo electoral avala Registro Electoral para elección presidencial.] (19 August 2006) Retrieved 24 August 2006 es icon]

Other concerns

The opposition is denouncing unfair pressure by the government against those governmental workers who might not want to support the president. They released a video that showed energy minister and head of PDVSA, Rafael Ramírez, telling state oil workers to back President Hugo Chávez or to leave their jobs. He also said PDVSA is red "from top to bottom"("PDVSA es roja, rojita de arriba abajo"). He also said that PDVSA's "workers are with this revolution, and those who aren't should go somewhere else. Go to Miami". Opposition media outlets have been repeating the 14-minute video over and over again. President Chávez said he supported the PDVSA director and recommended him to make the same speech to oil workers 100 times a day. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6114682.stm Storm over Venezuela oil speech] "BBC" (Retrieved 6 November 2006)] The CNE opened an investigation into Rafael Ramírez following the protests from the opposition [ [http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/11/07/pol_ava_07A801197.shtml Nacional y Política - eluniversal.com ] ] and Ramírez was eventually fined.cite web|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2007/07/14/pol_art_sancionado-ramirez-p_361707.shtml|title=Sancionado Ramírez por el "rojo rojito"|accessdate=2007-07-14|publisher=El Universal|year=2007-07-14es icon]

Claim of inconsistencies in the results

A study conducted by Ezequiel Zamora (former vicepresident of the CNE), Freddy Malpica (former rector of the Universidad Simón Bolívar), Guillermo Salas (USB professor), Jorge Tamayo (UCV professor), Ramiro Esparragoza (UCV professor), four statistics experts and three computer engineers concluded in January 2007 that the 2006 Presidential elections presented "important statistical inconsistencies, despite the fact that the opposition candidate recognized the results". They argued that the elections results of many electoral centers showed a very regular statistical distribution of the votes in favor of Rosales in comparison with the dispersion of the votes for Chávez. This suggest that the regularities are the possible result of numerical ceilings embedded in the voting machines. Also there seems to be a regular statistical abstention of 25% in most electoral centers and no signs of dispersion. They have recommended further studies of the data in order to understand the deficiencies of the Venezuelan electoral system and in order to have a "minimum of transparency" in any future electoral process. [ "Frente Patriótico denuncia "topes" en votación de diciembre" "El Nacional" January 27, 2007, p. A-2.]

Notes

See also

* [http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/searchSimpleResults/iw/1/keyword/hugo%20and%20rosales Venezuelan Election 2006] - Election news from Angus Reid Global Monitor
* National Electoral Council (CNE)

External links

*es icon [http://www.comandomiranda.org/ Chávez campaign website]
*es icon [http://atrevetevenezuela.com/ Rosales campaign website]
*es icon [http://www.votapiedra.com/ Rausseo campaign website]
*es icon [http://www.napo.org.ve/ Caldera Infante campaign website]
*es icon [http://www.eluniversal.com/2006/11/02/elecc_esp_02A799521.shtml Vera election manifesto]