Venezuela poll turnout figures ‘manipulated’

Caracas, Aug. 2: Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro moved quickly on Wednesday to swear in a new Assembly with extraordinary powers as he faced charges that turnout figures for the body’s election were “manipulated”.

The firm that supplies Venezuela’s voting technology, Smartmatic, said official figures in Sunday’s election were “tampered with” in such a way that the turnout appeared greater than it was.

The election of the new super-Assembly, with candidates selected from the ruling party, drew international condemnation as a power grab by the unpopular Mr Maduro, whose leftist government is beset by violent street protests and an economy on the brink of collapse.

Those fears were underscored on Tuesday when two prominent Opposition leaders were hustled off to jail in the middle of the night by armed members of the Venezuelan intelligence services.

Mr Maduro planned to swear in the 545 members of the so-called Constituent Assembly, including his own wife and son, on Wednesday at a concert arena in Caracas, his press office said.

They will then take their seats on Thursday in the formal chamber of the National Assembly, which is now controlled by the Opposition but whose powers will be superseded by the new body. The Opposition has called a major rally for Thursday.

Venezuelan officials claim that more than 40 per cent of the country’s 20 million voters cast ballots on Sunday, which were boycotted by the Opposition.

In London, Smartmatic chief executive Antonio Mugica said: “We estimate the difference between the actual participation and the one announced by authorities is at least one million votes.”

According to polling firm Datanalisis, more than 70 per cent Venezuelans oppose the new Assembly. — AFP

THE firm that supplies Venezuela’s voting technology, Smartmatic, said the difference between actual participation and the one announced by authorities was at least one million votes.