Participants in an event of the opposition's National Primary Commission, with a banner in the background carrying the name of the body. Photo: RedRadioVE/File photo.
A group of Venezuelans from several states of the country filed a constitutional Habeas Data action against the National Primary Commission (CNP ) of the opposition, alleging disclosure of personal data. The CNP is the body created by Venezuela’s far-right opposition to organize its presidential primaries on October 22.
The legal action was filed on Thursday, September 7, by a group of citizens from the states Apure, La Guaira, Lara, Miranda, Yaracuy, Táchira, and Trujillo, as reported by far-right outlet AlbertoNews.
Fraud Alert: Concerns About Voting Centers & Voters’ Data for Opposition Primaries
“Despite the fact that I have not authorized or provided my personal data to be used in a electoral process to which I do not agree, nor do I plan to participate, by entering my personal information in said search engine I found that I am shown as a voter in the so-called voting center located in Casa Fernando Tirado,” said Javier Parra, one of the complainants, a citizen from Apure state.
Parra added that the legal measure seeks to order the CNP to stop the use of Venezuelans’ personal data in the search engine, and to operate within the boundaries of the appropriate use of personal information, which the opposition had obtained from the official registry of the National Electoral Council. No CNE authorization has been shown by the CNP since the scandal broke.
La PREGUNTA: ¿Si la Cndp rechazó la asistencia técnica del CNE, de dónde sacaron la información personal de los electores?
Muy grave.
— Michel Caballero Palma (@MichelCaballero) September 4, 2023
On September 2, the CNP launched its official search engine so that voters willing to participate in the opposition primaries could know their voting centers. Upon consulting the data, the engine returns the table number, volume, page and line in which the voter has to vote.
The data used in the CNP search engine belongs to the CNE’s electoral registry. The registry information is open to the public for personal information purposes but it is not public for private actors to use it.
In addition to this constitutional action, the Domestic Policy Commission of Venezuela’s National Assembly also opened an investigation last Thursday to determine the origin of the funds that are being used to hold the opposition primary elections, as complains have been made public about possible involvement of US entities like NED, USAID, or Venezuelan NGOs associated with these US government agencies.
Venezuela’s National Assembly Investigates Funding Source of Opposition Primaries
Venezuelan National Assembly Deputy Julio García Zerpa reported that the National Assembly is carrying out an investigation and will provide details “on time.”
With only a month and a half left until the opposition primary elections are held, the irregularities and obstacles to this process continue to grow. There are even opposition people who are calling for the election to be postponed because it is unlikely that the process will meet the schedule.
🗳 María Carolina Uzcátegui: los centros de votación designados no representan lo que el país solicita.
🗣 "A 45 días de realizarse el proceso de primarias, nos encontramos con una situación que podría concluir en la no realización del proceso".#Primarias2023 pic.twitter.com/zQZ4uUo4zq
— 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖 (@polianalitica) September 7, 2023
On Thursday, September 7, the former vice president of the National Primary Commission, María Carolina Uzcátegui, said in a press conference that the necessary conditions to hold these elections do not exist, and that the election will not meet the expectations of opposition supporters.
“With 45 days to go before the primary is held, we find ourselves in a situation that could end in the process not being carried out,” Uzcátegui said.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
