Anti-Chavez Signature Drive Starts Amid Fraud Claims

[Say_What]

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The signature drive organized by groups opposed to President Chavez started today throughout the country amid numerous claims of irregularities, fraud and pressures to sign against people’s will.

The signature collection drive is the first step to request recall referenda on elected officials, a constitutional right proposed by President Chavez’s party during the drafting of the new Constitution of 1999. Opposition forces tried to block the referenda proposal back in 1999, but now are making use of that right to revoke Chavez’s mandate.

During the morning, collection centers in upper-class sections of Caracas reported a high turnouts, which faded during the afternoon. In contrast, collection centers in working-class zones had very low turnouts.

Pressures

Since last Tuesday, numerous employees of private companies and of opposition-led local governments have been denouncing pressures from their employers to force them sign the petitions against President Chavez.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1115

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Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez laughs as he gives a news conference at the presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2003, one day before his opposition will begin a four day signature drive pushing for a vote on his rule. (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch)

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Gregory Wilpert article from a few days ago reminding readers that the world pay careful attention to what happens in Venezuela between November 28 and December 1, when the opposition is collecting signatures in favor of a recall referendum against President Chavez. They will have to collect over 2.4 million signatures in just four days, a task which, if successful, will probably represent a milestone in the history of petition drives.


“Reafirmazo” and “Revocalos” (Re-sign/Re-affirm and Revoke ‘em)

November 24 was the last day of the “Revocalos” petition drive, as the petition against opposition legislators is known. Of the 38 legislators against whom the Chavistas were collecting signatures, 37 will probably have to face recall referenda in April, according to the highly respected editor of the newspaper Últimas Noticias, Eleazer Diaz Rangel. Beginning on Friday, November 28, begins the “Reafirmazo,” as the opposition's recall petition drive against President Chavez and 30 of his legislators is known.

Meanwhile, civilized political behavior seems to have returned to Venezuela. After a meeting with the media, Chavez promised to tone down his verbal attacks against the media and the media, in turn, have promised to reciprocate (see: “Venezuela’s Commercial and State Media”). The first fruits of this promise appeared when Chavez agreed to be interviewed by two of his most strident critics from the private mass media. Also, Chavez said that he could imagine that the opposition would collect the necessary signatures in order to call for a recall referendum against his presidency. As for the oppositional media, they, for the first time, provided extensive news coverage of pro-Chavez activity during their petition drive for recall referenda against opposition legislators.

The big question for everyone who knows of the ups and downs of Venezuelan politics is, how long will this peace last? In the weeks leading up to the petition drives, Chavez and other politicians of the governing coalition presented evidence that suggested that some more radical members of the opposition were planning to cause disturbances during the recall referendum, in the form of bomb attacks against signature collection locales, which would then be blamed on Chavistas.

Specifically, pro-Chavez legislators Nicolas Maduro, Juan Baretto, and Roger Rondon presented recorded phone conversations in which opposition leaders mentioned plans to destabilize the government. One conversation took place between the former president of the country’s conservative union federation CTV, Carlos Ortega, now in self-imposed exile in Costa Rica, and the federation’s current president, Manuel Cova (see: “Opposition Leaders Prepare ‘Civil Rebellion’”). In the conversation, Cova and Ortega talk about when and how Ortega should return to Venezuela and that when he arrives there would be a “civil rebellion” and that, roughly, all hell will break lose. Exactly how or why this would happen they do not say.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1063

[Bozola]

1. So, are they going to run Der SchwarzenGroper as a candidate?

Why am I reminded of California?

[DUreader]

2. Good stuff

thanks, SayWhat

[Gman]

3. Recall??

where ever did they get that idea?

[Say_What]

4. Controversy Surrounds Opposition Recall Referendum Petition

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Caracas, Nov 28 (Venezuelanalysis.com).- Government supporters say that the opposition is threatening and bribing people to sign the petition for recall referenda against President Chavez and legislators who support his government. In a press conference late this evening, Ismael Garcia read a long list of accusations coming from election observers around the country, from people who have been threatened with being fired if they did not sign the petition and in some cases bribed to do so. The accusations say that citizens are being asked by their employers to present proof that they have signed.

A key element in the accusations are little business card sized cards which are being distributed to citizens. On one side of the card people are supposed to write down their personal data, such as identification number, full name, and birth date, just as it is found in the electoral registry. The card provides a toll-free telephone number, so that citizens can look up exactly how their data is stored in the registry, in case there is any doubt as to how they this data is registered. On the back side of the card spaces are provided for entering the serial number of the petition form, the person’s signature, and one’s thumbprint. This is same information that must also be entered in the petition forms.

During Thursday’s press conference, President Chavez already said that these cards represent a very similar tactic that used to be employed by previous governments to win elections in Venezuela.

Labor Minister Maria Cristina Iglesias said that the cards represent a danger to workers’ rights and that if any employers use them to force their employees to sign, those employers should sign and invalidate their signature by either signing more than once or by entering a false identification number. The National Electoral Council (CNE) president, Francisco Carrasquero said that the charges surrounding the cards are being investigated. However, telling people to falsely sign is not an acceptable solution.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1116

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Members of the National Guard stand under a banner reading 'Our families will not sign against Chavez' in downtown, Caracas, Venezuela Saturday, Nov 29, 2003. Opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez continued to sign on the second day of a petition drive asking for a referendum on Chavez' rule. (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch)
AP - Nov 29 11:01 AM