"Venezuelan Opposition Demands Recount of Referendum Votes"

Caracas, August 17, 2004—Opposition leaders in Venezuela are calling for a recount of referendum results, despite repeated assurances by both the Carter Center and the Organization of American States (OAS) that their numbers coincide with those announced by Venezuela’s national electoral authority (CNE), which gives President Hugo Chavez a win over recall efforts.

Leaders of the opposition refused to accept the CNE’s announcement of results that showed that more than 58 per cent of voters favored Chavez to stay on as President of Venezuela during this past Sunday’s historic presidential referendum. Opposition leaders had said they would abide by CNE results before the referendum. With their refusal to accept the CNE’s results after the referendum, opposition leaders said they would only accept the judgment of international observer organizations. However now, with the Carter Centre and OAS supporting the CNE and its figures as well as categorically refuting the possibility of fraud, the opposition is demanding a recount of votes.

Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com