www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4431638,00.html
UP Venezuela Opposition Leaders Boycott Audit Wednesday August 18, 2004 4:31 PM AP Photo XCAR102 By ALEXANDRA OLSON Associated Press Writer CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Opposition leaders refused Wednesday to participate in an audit of a referendum that failed to oust Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, dealing a setback to international efforts to dispel allegations of vote-rigging and prevent more upheaval in the politically divided country. Opposition leaders claimed they had unearthed new evidence of fraud, which they insisted the audit - proposed by former President Jimmy Carter and the Organization of American States - would fail to detect. Under these conditions, we won't accept this audit,'' said anti-Chavez lawmaker Nelson Rampersad after a meeting between opposition leaders, Carter and OAS Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria. There was no immediate comment from Carter and Gaviria, who had planned to be witnesses Wednesday as local election officials checked a random sampling of results from 150 voting stations - a rare follow-up move to an election they have already said looked clean. We have no reason to doubt the integrity of the electoral process nor the accuracy of the referendum results,'' Carter asserted at a news conference Tuesday. Carter and Gaviria have been working for two years to find a solution to the often bloody political crisis that has gripped Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest oil exporting nation. Rampersad claimed touch-screen voting machines in at least 500 polling sites produced the exact same number of yes'' votes in favor of ousting Chavez, a result he said was statistically impossible. He said the supposed finding indicated the machines were rigged to impose a ceiling on yes'' votes. The audit intended to compare electronic and paper ballots. But Rampersad said opponents were concerned the paper ballots - which have been under the care of Venezuela's military - may have been tampered with since Sunday's votes. He said the opposition wanted the audit to include an examination of the internal workings of the machines' software. The referendum was carried out on touch-screen voting machines, which produced a paper receipt of each vote, much like an ATM. Chavez is praised by supporters for giving the poor majority better services and a voice in politics, while some critics fear he intends to install a Cuban-style dictatorship. Almost 58 percent voted Sunday to keep the leftist firebrand in office. Leaders of an opposition coalition immediately cried fraud. Gunmen fired on an opposition demonstration later Monday, wounding seven people, including a woman who later died. Dozens died in a failed coup against Chavez in April 2002 and in political riots over several years. Carter made clear that the opposition would look foolish if it keeps crying foul after the audit, which he said should be completed by Thursday. It should be sufficient to address the remaining concerns that have been expressed by the opposition,'' Carter said. In Washington, the State Department said the referendum should end this South American nation's political crisis. The people of Venezuela have spoken,'' spokesman Adam Ereli said. It was a conciliatory comment from the US government, which often has harsh words for Chavez, a blunt critic of US foreign policy. Strengthened by his victory, Chavez is now setting his sights on centralizing power, including exerting control over the courts, local police and the nation's broadcast stations. The government is going to deepen the social and democratic revolution in Venezuela,'' vowed Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel, the right-hand man to Chavez. One Supreme Court justice has already been ousted for allegedly falsifying his resume, a charge he denied. The government is also seeking to exert control over TV and radio stations, many of which are deeply critical of Chavez. The government plans to submit a bill to Congress that would allow the government to ban programming it sees as slanderous or an incitement to violence and to punish violators. The government is also studying the possibility of unifying municipal and state police forces into a national police force, wresting control from mayors and governors, many of whom are Chavez opponents. Chavez's drive to centralize power has stoked worries of authoritarianism among some of his critics. Human Rights Watch recently issued a statement expressing worries about the independence of Venezuelan institutions such as the courts.
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