The video above was uploaded to YouTube by Smartmatic. In it, the Secretary of the Mesa de la Unidad (MUD), Ramon Guillermo Aveledo, claims that Smartmatic’s voting machines have been “sufficiently audited” (see min. 1.50). The first time I heard Aveledo make such statements, I was alarmed. Following this, I emailed my very informed contact list in Venezuela to see if they could tell me when, where, how, and by whom such audits were conducted. As far as I knew, the only time Smartmatic’s machines had been audited was in Fila de Mariches on November 23, 2005, just before the legislative elections. In that audit, in the presence of electoral observers from the European Union and the Organization of American States, it was shown that the secrecy of the vote was compromised.
No one knows…
None of the recipients of my emails requesting information knows when, where, how, and by whom the audits referred to by Aveledo were conducted. There are no reports about it. No press articles. Nowhere. Nobody saw anything. Nobody witnessed anything. Nobody wrote a tweet, or a Facebook comment, about something so crucial. Can it be surprising then that the video of Aveledo’s statements is being used by Smartmatic as propaganda?
Those who did witness the only audit that has been done on Smartmatic machines so far, electoral observers from the European Union (see page 25), concluded: While the source codes are owned by the CNE, they are not made available for public scrutiny for commercial reasons, and no independent third-party audits have been conducted on any part of the electronic voting system.
To put it more clearly, “the source code (of the machines) is the property of the CNE, and for commercial reasons it is not available for public scrutiny, and no independent audits have been conducted on any parts of the electronic voting system.” Of course, Smartmatic will not use this citation as evidence of the efficiency and reliability of their alleged “best electoral system in the world.” It’s worth remembering that absolutely every electoral process in which Smartmatic has participated outside Venezuela, and which has been properly audited, has revealed flaws in their system. In all of them.
But Smartmatic is not the point today. The purpose of this article is to expose the hypocritical, dishonest, and manichaean attitude of certain opposition leaders. Those of us who have demanded for years that a minimum of electoral conditions be imposed on the CNE have been labeled as radicals and abstentionists. Just six months ago, that was the official stance of the opposition towards those of us arguing that electoral participation should be conditioned, not through abstentionism, but by demanding respect for the law.
The Smartmatic machines have not been audited since November 2005, despite what the irresponsible Ramón Guillermo Aveledo may say, and the same applies to the electoral register, which has not been properly audited since 2005. Now Henrique Capriles, who has declared that he does not recognize the results of the April 14 elections, is basically demanding from the CNE what others have been demanding for years. Who calls him radical? Who describes him as abstentionist?
Let’s see what the Organic Law of Suffrage and Political Participation (see LOSPP) states:
Article 95. The Electoral Register will include:
1. The names, surnames, ID number, sex, date of birth, nationality, profession, and any physical impairments of the citizens entitled to vote, according to the Constitution of the Republic and this Law;
2. Indication of whether they can read and write;
3. The residence of the voter with all the details of their exact location, including Electoral Neighborhood, Parish, Municipality, and Federal Entity;
4. The Voting Center and the Electoral Table where the voter is to cast their vote;
5. The qualifications of each voter necessary for being selected as a member of the electoral bodies, according to the provisions of Title VII of this Law, as well as the detailed identification of the place where they carry out the activities that make them eligible; and,
6. The condition of suspension and its reason, when applicable.
Unique Paragraph: The data specified in this article must be included in copies of the voter list given to the different parties or groups of voters when requested.
Article 156. The machines for automating voting, counting, totaling, and awarding, their equipment, programs, and corresponding databases, must be duly tested, stored, and safeguarded in suitable locations in the municipality where they will be used, at least one month prior to the election date, and once installed, they may not be moved or manipulated by anyone, except as may be provided for their safeguarding, maintenance, checking, and preservation by the National Electoral Council through a special resolution.
In other words, current laws allow for the CNE to be required both to scrutinize/audit the voting machines and the electoral register. How can the request and demand for the application of existing laws be described as a radical attitude? Now Capriles is the radical, and the seven million plus who voted for him. If they had listened to us before, maybe the situation would be different. Having said this, the opposition movement does not need politicians like Ramón Guillermo Aveledo, who lie to the country with shamelessness and also disdain those who demand respect for the law.
Venezuela needs an opposition leader who speaks clearly to the country, and to the world, about the electoral reality, and repeats ad nauseam that electoral processes in Venezuela are, and have been since 2004, totally and absolutely fraudulent. Enough of fools, liars, and incompetent people, who make us take one step forward and a dozen steps back. Enough of collaborators like Teodoro Petkoff, who claim our electoral system is fraud-proof. Enough of representatives with little or no ability, and less preparation before the CNE like Felix Arroyo, Enrique Marquez, or Ramon Jose Medina. Enough of spokespeople who publicly contradict the statements of the opposition leader, like Ocariz. How long will we have to tolerate such a bunch of useless people?