María Carolina Uzcátegui, former vice president of the Venezuelan opposition's National Primaries Commission. File photo.
María Carolina Uzcátegui, the former vice president of the National Primaries Commission of the Venezuelan opposition, has expressed concerns about the possibility of vested interest groups manipulating the results of the primaries. The manual voting process, she highlighted, leaves room for such interference. However, automating the voting and counting procedures would eliminate this risk altogether.
During an interview on Thursday, July 27, Uzcátegui shared the reasons behind her recent resignation from the National Primaries Commission. Among them, she pointed out issues with the voting centers during the opposition’s internal elections, along with concerns related to manual voting risks.
En #ShirleyRadio nos acompaña María Carolina Uzcátegui, quien renunció a su cargo como vicepresidenta de la Comisión Nacional de Primarias. pic.twitter.com/vgcnwk2tqz
— Shirley Varnagy (@ShirleyVarnagy) July 28, 2023
Uzcátegui mentioned that during the previous opposition primary elections, there were numerous issues, some of which included acts of violence and ballot box theft.
Regarding this matter, she highlighted that manual voting carries the risk of potential interference by groups with vested interests, aiming to manipulate the results. On the contrary, with an automated voting process, voters can clearly witness how their votes are cast, ensuring transparency and accuracy.
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“Manual voting is always much riskier than automated voting in terms of reflecting the results,” Uzcátegui said.
It should also be mentioned that the National Primaries Commission has refused the technical assistance of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela for the opposition’s primary elections, planned for October 22, 2023.
This refusal was the reason for which Rafael Arraíz Lucca also resigned from the National Primaries Commission. He believes that the CNE and its centers are indispensable for any credible election process.
El CNE en Venezuela garantiza lo que no puede garantizar otra organización, llámese como se llame: UN ELECTOR, UN VOTO.
— Francisco Ameliach (@AmeliachPSUV) July 27, 2023
According to PSUV’s National Assembly Deputy Francisco Ameliach, the CNE is the only entity that can guarantee “one voter, one vote.”
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Some candidates exerting “unthinkable pressure”
During the interview, Uzcátegui strongly criticized the “unthinkable pressure” exerted by certain candidates on every decision made by the National Primaries Commission.
She emphasized that her resignation aims to draw attention to the insufficient technical and logistical conditions for conducting the opposition’s primary elections.
“The reason for the resignation is precisely because the schedule is too tight,” she said. “I see no way to verify if those voting centers exist and if they are in usable condition. It takes a little more time to be able to make a really comprehensive and inclusive self-managed primaries.”
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/KZ
