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Discrepancies cited as Venezuelans in Guyana vote for new government

Oct 07, 2012 News

The people of neighbouring Venezuela are going to the polls today to elect their government for the next six years and arrangements have been finalised for a few of their countrymen in Guyana to be part of the process.
Venezuelans living in Guyana will commence voting at the Venezuelan Embassy on Thomas Street at 07:45 hours.
But from reports reaching this newspaper, all is not too well with the electoral arrangements here. There are reports of several discrepancies, and although it definitely cannot affect the results of the poll in the neighbouring Spanish-speaking nation, it has caused some concern among a small group here. Venezuela’s presidential election pits incumbent Hugo Chavez against challenger Henrique Capriles.
Presently, Venezuela has no official diplomatic representation in Guyana. The previous ambassador Dario Morandy left since mid July. The affairs of the oil-rich nation are reportedly being run by an official from the Venezuelan Cultural Centre.
Kaieteur News understands that the voters’ list of Venezuelans living in Guyana has 25 registrants, but only 11 have been accounted for. This was after several Venezuelans residing here were allegedly denied the right to properly register for the elections.
A reliable source close to the Venezuelan election process in Guyana has informed that electoral material, including ballot boxes, was delivered to the officials here yesterday.
According to the legal requirement, the box was supposed to be opened in the presence of representatives of all the political parties contesting the elections at 08:00 hours. However, party representatives were only informed about the opening of the box at around 15:00 hours.
The source indicated that when they arrived at the local Embassy, they found that the box had already been opened and the ‘no vote’ stamp was missing. This was soon rectified.
But there is still the issue of party representatives being debarred from observing the election process here although they have been accredited by the Venezuelan Election Commission.
Fifty-eight year-old Hugo Chavez has been president since 1999. He has twice won re-election. His only clear electoral loss came in 2007, when voters rejected constitutional changes. Chavez announced in June 2011 that he had a cancerous tumour removed from his pelvic region. He has since undergone another surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment. He now says he is cancer-free.
His opponent, Henrique Capriles, 40, a former state governor, won a first-ever opposition presidential primary in February. Capriles won a congressional seat at age 26.
He was a Caracas district mayor and in 2008 defeated a Chavez ally, Diosdado Cabello, to become governor in Miranda state, which includes part of Caracas. Capriles describes his views as center-left. He says he admires former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s promotion of pro-business policies while also funding social programs for the poor.

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