Opposition claims ballot tampering in state

VENEZUELA: Venezuela’s opposition presented evidence yesterday of possible ballot tampering in gubernatorial elections, seeking to bolster its claim that its shock loss at the polls was the result of fraud.

The Democratic Unity Roundtable’s claim rests on results from a single race, in industrial Bolivar state, where progovernment candidate Justo Noguera was declared the winner by just 1471 votes over opposition candidate Andres Velasquez.

The opposition coalition said the results on the National Electoral Council’s website don’t match the tallies from 11 ballot boxes certified by poll workers representing multiple political parties. It said the inconsistencies resulted in 2199 votes from those polling stations being awarded incorrectly to Noguera, enough to swing the vote in his favour. Electoral authorities had no immediate comment.

For the opposition, the disputed figures represent a glimmer of hope following days of internal feuding in which crestfallen leaders have alternately blamed their big loss in Sunday’s regional elections on voter apathy, strategic missteps and a series of pre-election manoeuvres by the government to suppress turnout.

Pre-election polls predicted that popular outrage over triple-digit inflation, widespread food shortages and the recent crackdown on dissent gave the opposition a virtual lock on the majority of Venezuela’s 23 governorships. But in the end, President Nicolas Maduro’s opponents carried only five districts.

The contest in Bolivar state was the only one not called on election night because results were too tight. Although far from the political battles of Caracas, the state is a vital economic motor that is home to a major steel factory. It’s also where the government is working with private companies to expand large-scale mining in a bid to diversify the economy away from oil exports and generate badly needed hard currency. -AP