Re EU electoral observation in Venezuela: open letter to Domenico Tuccinardi
By Aleksander Boyd | 28.11.05
Dear Mr. Tuccinardi,
I have taken the liberty to write this message following the advice of David Bruck (European Commission in Brussels), with whom I just had a word. The purpose of it is to give voice to some concerns with respect to electoral issues.
As you know, it was demonstrated last Wednesday, beyond reasonable doubt and before some of the international observers, that the Smartmatic machines utilized by the CNE contain a file that keeps the sequence of the vote. Should one add to that fact the record produced by the fingerprint catching machines and the data of the electronic notebooks, the CNE is, effectively, in the capacity of establishing, with absolute certainty, the political tendency of each voter. This is a clear violation to article 63 of the constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
I am under the impression that the European commission made concerns vis-a-vis the aforementioned known to CNE authorities, that to date, according to Mr. Bruck, have not been addressed.
Mr. Jorge Rodriguez has stated that a percentage of the machines shall be audited publicly, alas the prevailing impression is that the opposition is sort of negotiating constitutional and electoral rights with Mr. Rodriguez.
Far from pretending to defend whatever it is that opposition parties are intending to do, my concerns as citizen, as brilliantly summarized by Mr. Bruck, is to expect from the commission deputized by you a report based, strictly, on whether or not the authorities in charge respected the country's legal framework. Jorge Rodriguez is merely a civil servant whose sole duty is to guarantee that the process is conducted under full compliance of current legislation. Let us not forget that Mr. Jorge Rodriguez has no power to change the electoral laws of the land or to deprive the citizenry or any of the parties from the rightful exercise of electoral rights.
Cordially,
A. Boyd
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