This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L  CARACAS 000578 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR TSHANNON AND CBARTON 
USCINSO ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS USAID FOR DCHA/OTI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/17/2014 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM VE
SUBJECT: VENEZUELA POLITICAL UPDATE: 2/14/2004 
 
REF: CARACAS 00552 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Charles S. Shapiro for Reasons 1.5(b) and (d) 
 
-------- 
Summary: (Note:The Following message was e-mailed to the 
Department 
         on 2/14/2004 and is reported by cable for the 
record.) 
-------- 
 
¶1. OAS: 
 
-- (C) OAS chief of staff Francisco Jaramillo told the 
Ambassador February 13 that the National Electoral Council 
(CNE) board meeting with the Carter Center and OAS was "a 
disaster."  Jaramillo said the CNE refused an OAS and Carter 
Center proposal to bring fingerprint experts from the Mexican 
government to analyze signature forms. 
 
¶2. Opposition: 
 
-- (U) Streets and freeways in the eastern sections of the 
city were awash with thousands of opposition demonstrators 
peacefully congregating February 14. 
 
-- (C) Opposition representative told poloff February 14 that 
the march was a success, estimating 500,000 opposition 
demonstrators, but it would not continue to the CNE building 
because it was blocked by GoV security forces and 
sympathizers armed with clubs. 
 
¶3. GoV: 
 
-- (U) The Ministry of Interior and Justice announced at the 
end of the march that everything had been carried out in 
peace.  MinInt officials had warned opposition leaders on 
February 13 that the GoV could not guarantee their safety if 
they marched to the CNE building. 
 
-- (U) The GoV mounted a large open food market, with free 
medical clinics, naturalization fairs, and cultural events, 
in the path of the march. 
 
-- (U) Official GoV television used a split screen with 
selective footage to play down the numbers of participants in 
the march. 
 
-- (U) Chavez said on February 13 he would appeal any 
decision by the CNE allowing a presidential recall referendum 
to the Supreme Court. 
 
¶4. CNE: 
 
-- (U) CNE Director Jorge Rodriguez (pro-GOV) said February 
13 the CNE board will announce criteria to be used in the 
verfication process by the Superior Technical Commission 
(CTS) on February 16. 
 
-- (U) Rodriguez also said the CNE believes the controversial 
signature forms alleged to have been filled out in the same 
handwriting may exceed 50,000 signature sheets (or 
approximately 450,000 signatures). 
 
-- (C) On February 13 CNE Vice President Zamora (opposition) 
threatened not to attend further meetings in the CNE board 
until the "encirclement" of the CNE by pro-Chavez activists 
("chavistas") is ended. 
 
End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
CNE meeting with OAS and Carter Center a "Disaster" 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶5. (C) The Ambassador met on the evening of February 13 with 
OAS chief of staff Francisco Jaramillo for a readout on the 
National Electoral Council (CNE) board meeting with the 
Carter Center and OAS earlier that day (reftel).  Jaramillo 
 
confirmed that the pro-Chavez activists camped out around the 
CNE building made getting to the building nearly impossible. 
Jaramillo said when his car was stopped by traffic, he jumped 
on the back of a motorcycle-taxi to arrive late to the 
meeting. 
 
¶6. (C) The meeting, said Jaramillo, was "a disaster."  The 
Carter Center and the OAS proposed bringing fingerprint 
experts from the Mexican federal prosecutor's office to take 
a random sample of 1,000 signature forms (about 8,500 
signatures) for an analysis, he said.  The CNE board rejected 
the proposal.  The OAS and Carter Center representatives then 
shared the statement they were about to read to the press 
(see reftel) and then left for the press area.  After Carter 
Center representative  Jennifer McCoy left for a meeting with 
President Hugo Chavez, Jaramillo returned for a wrap-up with 
CNE President Francisco Carrasquero.  Jaramillo said 
Carrasquero was furious with both organizations for allegedly 
making proposals that tried to shortcut the CNE's procedures. 
 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Opposition March: Peaceful and Growing 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) Opposition marchers started massing February 14 at 
about 10:00 a.m. at several gathering points in Caracas.  By 
mid-day, streets and freeways in the eastern sections of the 
city were awash with thousands of opposition demonstrators 
peacefully congregating.  Opposition plans called for 
marchers to converge from six points around the capital to 
Plaza Venezuela near the Botanical Garden to collect printed 
certificates showing copies of their signatures to petetion 
for a resesidential recall referendum. 
 
¶8. (C) Opposition statistic expert Amado Dounia told poloff 
at 2:30 p.m. that the march had been a success, but it would 
not continue to the CNE building because it was blocked by 
GoV security forces.  Douia said Miranda State Governor 
Enrique Mendoza suspected an ambush after observing the 
number of troops and a band of GoV sympathizers carrying 
clubs in teh proximity.  Dounia guessed that 500,000 
opposition demonstrators took to the streets in Caracas. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
GoV Organizes Events To Block March Route 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) Officials of the Interior Ministry asked the 
opposition yesterday via press conference not to march 
farther than the Botanical Garden due to lack of security. 
The GoV also mounted a large open market on Avenida Bolivar 
in the capital, in the path of the planned opposition march, 
on February 14.  The GoV announced late on February 13 that 
in addition to a GoV-subsidized meat sale, there would also 
be free medical services, free medicines, an express 
naturalization process, and music concerts.  The DCM walked 
the GoV-sponsored megamarkets before the opposition march 
began, noting tens of thousands of people.  The DCM noted the 
market was not overtly partisan or hostile, with many 
apparently attracted by the fifteen percent price break on 
meat and vegetables. 
 
----------------------------- 
Tricky GoV TV Claims No March 
----------------------------- 
 
¶10. (U) Official GoV television showed used a split screen to 
show selective footage on February 14 depicting higher 
concentration of people at the GoV's megamarket than at teh 
opposition march.  The right side showed a close-up of the 
GoV-sponsored crowd assembled for its cultural events and 
food markets.  The left side showed sections of empty road in 
Caracas, purporting to indicate that few showed up for the 
opposition's march.  Keeping with the theme, Vice President 
Jose Rangel announced February 14 that the opposition was 
invisible.  Nevertheless, all other commercial media outlets 
showed thousands of marchers in all areas of the planned 
march route.  The GoV footage showed the same truck passing 
 
the same empty street over and over, suggesting that the GoV 
TV was using a video loop.  PD Off observing the opposition 
march confirmed huge crowds massing in the capital's eastern 
sections. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
Chavez Pledges Legal Challenge if CNE Calls a Referendum 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶11. (U) During his press conference to foreign correspondents 
on February 13 (carried live for 2 hours by GoV mandate on 
all/all media outlets in the country), Chavez said he would 
appeal any forthcoming decision by the CNE to allow a 
presidential recall referendum to the Supreme Court of 
Justice (TSJ).  Only if the TSJ upholds a referendum, Chavez 
said, would he participate. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
CNE Expects New Rules for Technical Review Committee 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶12. (U) CNE Director Jorge Rodriguez (pro-GOV) February 13 
announced the CNE board will discuss rules for the 
verification of signatures to be used by the Superior 
Technical Commission (CTS) during the weekend on February 14 
and 15, and announce final criteria on February 16. 
Rodriguez also said the CNE believes the controversial 
signature forms alleged to have been filled out in the same 
handwriting (the so-called "planillas planas", see reftel) 
may exceed 50,000 signature sheets (or approximately 450,000 
signatures).  Rodriguez did not/not address when the CNE 
would provide rules for the possible 5-day period during 
which voters listed on questionable signature forms could 
come to the CNE in person to affirm their name and signature. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
Zamora Worries About Chavistas, New Schedule at the CNE 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶13. (C) On February 13 CNE Vice President Zamora (opposition) 
threatened not to attend further meetings in the CNE board 
until the "encirclement" of the CNE by pro-Chavez activists 
("chavistas") is ended.  Zamora comlained about having to 
enter the CNE building through back entrances to avoid the 
Chavista camp in front of the building.  The Chavistas have 
moved back 20 meters since February 13, and National Guard 
troops continue to guard the perimeter.  Zamora said the CNE 
approved a schedule on February 13 for the rest of the 
verification process, but it has not yet been published. 
SHAPIRO 
 
 
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      2004CARACA00578 - CONFIDENTIAL