Swearing-in ceremony for Venezuela's new electoral authorities led by the president of parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, held on Thursday, August 24, 2023. Photo: X/@Asamblea_Ven.
In a recent special parliamentary session, the Venezuelan National Assembly (AN) officially appointed new principal and alternate rectors that will make up the new National Electoral Council (CNE) board for the time period of 2023-2030.
The principal rectors appointed this Thursday, August 24, are: Elvis Eduardo Huidrobo Amoroso, Rosalba Pacheco Gil, and Acme Clarisa Nogal Méndez (nominated by civil society); Carlos Enrique Quintero Cuevas (nominated by the Citizen Power); and Juan Carlos Delpino Boscán (nominated by the schools of law and political science of a number of Venezuelan universities).
As alternate rectors, the following were appointed: Leonel Henrique, Gustavo Vizcaíno, Francisco Garcés, Antonieta Di Stefano, Tulio Ramírez, and Ana Julia Niño (nominated by civil society); Fabio Henríquez and Imad Saab Saab (nominated by the Citizen Power); and Conrado Pérez Briceño and Aura Rosa Hernández (nominated by the schools of law and political science of various universities).
After the nominees were appointed, the president of the AN, Jorge Rodríguez granted a recess so that the new members of the CNE could be called to the Plenary in order to be officially sworn in by the Legislative Power, as established by the Venezuelan Constitution.
Venezuela: National Assembly in Permanent Session to Appoint Electoral Authorities
Sworn in ceremony
The president of the AN made a speech to welcome the new rectors of the CNE, and swore them in on the following oath:
“Do you swear to respect and enforce the laws inherent to the Venezuelan electoral processes, to keep an impeccable record of service, and to serve everyone equally, regardless of their political position, regardless of their way of thinking, regardless of the origin of the citizen, whomsoever may require your services, and in a fundamental and pure way, to perform in an impeccable manner and very especially in the articles that create this new state branch, as established in the 1999 Constitution and nourished by the speech of the Liberator Simón Bolívar, who stated the need for elections in Venezuela to be carried out by a true public power of the Venezuelan state, to perform impeccably as the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has demonstrated in the next elections of singular importance to be held in the years 2024 and 2025? If you do, may god and the Motherland reward you, and if not, may they demand it of you. You are hereby invested and appointed as principal rectors of the National Electoral Council and as alternate rectors of the National Electoral Council, in peace.”
A job well done
Before reading the names of those selected by the Nominations Commission as rectors of the CNE, Jorge Rodríguez praised the work done by the legislative body itself, congratulating them for the neatness, celerity, and depth of their research and their consultations with all the sectors of political and social life of the country. He highlighted the strength that this body has shown in meeting its obligations under the Constitution and the reconstitution of the organs of the Public Power, as well as of the organs of the state that our Constitution defines.
Rodríguez recalled that in the year 2021, a preliminary commission was formed, which later gave way to the Nominations Commission, presided by Deputy Giuseppe Alessandrello, with Deputy José Gregorio Correa as vice-president of that commission. In strict compliance with the letter of the constitution, the law of the Electoral Power, and the electoral process as a whole, this commission was dedicated to the selection of the Venezuelan people who were to form the CNE.
“In the face of a supervening situation—that is to say, the resignation of the main and alternate rectors of the National Electoral Council—the body immediately began to comply with the steps established by the Constitution,” Rodríguez noted, “forming a preliminary committee that gave way to a new nominating committee, and that nominating committee completed its work when, 13 days ago, it presented to the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela 104 names that should be eligible to be the ones to form the body—to be the five principal rectors and the ten alternate rectors—of the National Electoral Council.”
Rodríguez continued to extend his congratulations to the Nominations Commission, “which did not stop at any kind of political partiality, which worked hard regardless of whether it was part of the bloc of the homeland [ruling party bench] or of the opposition blocs in the National Assembly,” emphasizing that “we also sought the opinion, the consensus, the proposals of the vast majority of the political parties of Venezuela. Fortunately, more and more accept that the only way to manage the political and social affairs of Venezuela has to be through the ways that make up this Constitution of ours. As our beloved Commander Hugo Chávez used to say, within the Constitution everything, outside the Constitution nothing. Political matters must be settled through the democratic electoral process only.”
“Today, our Republic is once again threatened by ‘minuscule minorities’ and, allow me the redundancy, those who insist on seeking violent shortcuts, who insist on promoting extra-constitutional shifts of power,” he continued. “I must say with deep pride, and I must also point out, that it is a product of the work of this National Assembly and of Venezuelan politicians who believe in peace, harmony, and who believe above all in the Constitution, that more and more actors are promoting electoral events to settle political issues.”
According to Rodríguez, these new electoral rectors will be in charge of successfully carrying out the next electoral event to choose the President of the Republic, to be held in 2024, as well as the elections of mayors and regional governors scheduled for the year 2025, in addition to the election of the Bolivarian Assembly of Venezuela. “This is a fundamental historical milestone,” he stated.
#24Ago || Queda Aprobado por Mayoría Calificada la designación de los ciudadanos y ciudadanas
📌 Elvis E. Hidrobo A.
📌 Rosalba Gil
📌 Carlos R. Quintero C.
📌 Acme C. Nogal M.
📌 Juan Carlos Delfino B.,
como rectores principales del CNE. pic.twitter.com/grj4EXZDnf— Asamblea Nacional 🇻🇪 (@Asamblea_Ven) August 24, 2023
Who is who?
- Elvis Amoroso: Politician and lawyer, currently Comptroller General of the Republic, and former National Deputy for the PSUV. Participated in the designation process of the 2021 CNE.
- Rosalba Gil Pacheco: Current Secretary of the AN, since 2020. Former Consul in Boston (2015-2018). Gil is the widow of late PSUV deputy Dario Vivas.
- Carlos Quintero Cuevas: Served as first alternate rector to the main rector of the CNE, Alberto Corredor, in the outgoing CNE board. A military officer with over 14 years of work in the CNE.
- Acme Nogal: Lawyer graduated from the School of Law of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV). Specialist in civil procedural law, and researcher of electoral processes. Nogal comes from the ranks of the opposition party Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT).
- Juan Carlos Delpino: Linked to the Democratic Action (AD) opposition party. General director of the Political Participation and Financing Commission of the CNE in 2017, during the gubernatorial elections. He was also alternate rector in the outgoing CNE board.
The review of the new principal rectors of the CNE points toward a similar balance of power to that of the outgoing board; three rectors related to the PSUV, and two related to the opposition.
Mainstream media and right-wing local journalists regularly talk about the PSUV’s alleged abuse of power and authoritarianism. This reiterated parity of the CNE, especially taking into consideration the fact that PSUV makes up almost 90% of the National Assembly, shows the willingness of Chavismo to play in favor of the balance of power and democracy.
(Últimas Noticias) by Odry Farnetano, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
