Sunday, December 04, 2005

And the voters? Can the pictures above generate almost half as many voters as this (from recall vote)? 11:43:02 PM    comment []

Abstention 75%, disastrous result for the Government Jorge Rodriguez says abstention was 75%. This is a disaster for Chavismo. I would like to see how many void votes there are, from the numbers he is mentioning it sounds like 25% were void or null votes, so it appears those that feared reprisal voted null, so this is really bad for the Government. Still votes look high to me from what I saw today in the poor areas of Caracas. At the end Jorge Rodriguez said literally: "It is forbidden for the National Electoral Juntas to issue results which contradict this one" What is the exact meaning of this sentence? By the way, whatever happened to the 10 million votes? Where are the 6 million plus missing? In the opposition or waiting for an alternative to Chavez? 8:57:10 PM    comment []

Chacon's hysterical numbers and a crook as an observer So, for the Minister of the Interior, any number above 17% would make the new Assembly legitimate? This is a hysterical argument, not because it is funny, but because the Minister had to have been in that state when he said it. I guess the ship has a hole in it and they know it, there is no legitimacy to this silly revolution.In fact, his logic is so obtuse, that he talks about recognizing an Assembly which Chavez and MVR never recognized, that elected in 1998. Using all of the power of the state, cheating and threats, they apparently may get to 17% voting/ What a joke! And speaking of hoodlums, how about the Head of the Nicaraguan Electoral Board, here in Venezuela as an international observer, whose CV reveals no ethical qualification or a minimum set of standards. Kudos to Gustavo for this piece, which shows what a crooked revolution this has become. They bring their own to observe them and put them on TV to say what a clean electoral process this was. 8:47:08 PM    comment []

First reliable estimate of abstention for Lara Globovision was just showing a voting center in Lara State(I think) and they allowed me to do a very quick exit poll of attendance there. As the lady on the TV screen searched for a name, you could easily see how many voters in each page had a fingerprint stamp. She passed five pages, four had one fingerprint, one had two for a total of 6 votes out of a possible 50 or 88% abstention with a sampling error of 7% at that voting center. 6:22:27 PM    comment []

Government violates the law, again, again and again... Well, once again, the CNE violated the law as well as the agreements, by extending voting beyond 4 PM even if there are no voters in line. Voting has been extended nationwide. Meanwhile, President Chavez also violated the law holding nationwide 'cadenas" last night and today, as his two last acts of abuse of power of this plebiscite. Meanhwile, Deputy Iris Varela, who will win her race, threatened public workers with firing if they do not go oit and vote. The pretty revolution goes on! The question is what the spin is going to be.From Rangel's spin that in Canada people don't vote in parlamentary elections to Disip trying to raid the Hotel where the civil disobedience have their headquarters today, there is little spin you can put on this. The numbers will show that most Venezuelan stayed away from this plebiscite. This is no democracy, this was no democratic process and despite the pressures, threats and the massive spending to get out the vote, the Emperor has shown that he is naked. Support for Chavez is no longer what it used to be. The process was rigged and they were caught redhanded, the absence of the opposition showed how scant support is for the process.. Let's see if they cheat again. (And while this is going on, Vargas state is once again collapsing under the rain in an electoral day. The Government, as usual, has said nothing about this, as they could care less about the most Chavista state in the Nation) 4:46:34 PM    comment []

Abstention appears to be massive! Just did a huge tour of the city, not only to check out lots of voting centers, but to show the city to A.Mora y Leon who is visiting Caracas. We went all over the city, from Petare to Caricuao, Catia and downtown.The picture is the same everywhere, huge abstention all over place. Turnout is much lower than in August and I mean MUCH lower even in Chavista areas We saw at least 15 voting centers, maybe three in middle class areas, the rest in lower middle class to poor areas and in only two centers did we see any movement. By movement I mean more than three or four people that looked like they were going in or out of voting. And I mean looked like, I can't tell if they really were. We did see two centers in middle class neighborhoods where one could see there were only the  two guards that are protecting each center. That's it. Nobody else! On the picturesque side, we saw a group of Chavistas singing and dancing, with all of the women wearing blonde wigs with long hair in imitation of Lina Ron. So much for our own values, the cult of blonde hair! I took Mora to see a Barrio Adentro Module in Caricuao, but it was closed!I also took a picture at a voting center of a line of Presidential Guards waiting to vote, right next to the Miraflores Palace. I guess that was the only line we saw and I can understand why they all have to go and vote. They actually looked a little intimidating so Mora was concerned about taking a picture, but she did anyway! You  can see this very singular line of voters above left and on the right a voting center at a school in dowtown Caracas, where all you can see is just military. 2:04:30 PM    comment []

Abstention higher than in August. Just went around Caracas and into Petare. Very few people voting. At a voting center that went for Chavez in the recall vote and was kept open until 10 PM that August,  nobody was going in and out and one person was checking the voters' rosters outside. I stopped to take pictures at a center where the SI won last year and during the time I was there all I saw were the two Natioanl Guardsmen at the gate. The ever cynical Vice-President said that there are no lines because electronic voting allows people to vote much faster. Abstention will certainly be higher than in August. It is now raining heavily in Caracas. Another excuse? 10:52:21 AM    comment []

First report, maybe too early to say much Maybe too early to report, it is 9:30 AM and a couple of voting centers I went by have no line and even few hangers on around. Even in the August regional election you would see people hanging around looking at the lists, checking their ID numbers and the like. TV tells you little, as clearly TV stations are holding back on reporting what is going on at voting centers, under pressure by the Government.. Government TV stations are not showing that either. Guess why? There is little to show. The Head of the CNE said that by 9 AM they were expecting all polling stations to be running as they were having problems in four states (Barinas, Zulia, Carabobo and Miranda). At 8:30 only 80% of voting centers were opened. 9:34:50 AM    comment []