Venezuela: Opposition Declares Victory Before Voting Closes
6 December 2015
Telesur
Social media networks are abuzz with potentially bogus election results.
Some of Venezuela's most prominent right-wing opposition leaders claimed victory in the country's legislative elections Sunday, before voting stations had even closed.
Opposition figure Henrique Capriles claimed, “The results are what we were hoping for.”
“We've won Venezuela! It's irreversible,” he tweeted.
“The results are what we were hoping for! We’ve won Venezuela! It’s irreversible! With much humility, serenity and maturity, we presume the people have decided!”
Reuters further reported that three opposition leaders had declared that they had won a legislative majority. Reuters named Capriles, as well as Lilian Tintori, wife of imprisoned Leopoldo Lopez, and another "anonymous" leader.
La Patilla also reported that AD opposition leader Henry Ramos Allup also declared in a press conference that the opposition's "expectations had been surpassed."
In a video, Tintori seen saying, “We won, and we won by so much! More than 100 spots!” while the MUD in a periscope, has declared that “We have received information from all the voting booths … that today the Venezuelan people have won.” Freddy Guevara says in the video, “We have made history ... Now it depends on the CNE to tell Venezuela what Venezuela already knows."
Capriles issued the statement as dozens of unofficial result tallies circulated on social media. Many of the unofficial tallies showed conflicting results. None of the social media accounts contacted by teleSUR for clarification could present sources for their tallies, leaving the credibility of the figures unclear. It's not unusual for misleading claims to be circulated during Venezuelan campaigning season, especially among opposition social media users.
The source of these figures cannot be verified.
At the time Capriles made his claim, voting hadn't even finished, with a number of election stations still open due to long lines. At the time of writing, Venezuela's electoral authority, the CNE, was expected to announce the closure of election stations within a matter of hours. However, the CNE is prohibited by Venezuelan law to close a station if voters are still waiting to cast their ballot. Earlier in the evening, Capriles claimed the lines outside voting stations were somehow fake, and called on his supporters to pressure the CNE to close stations.
Capriles didn't provide any evidence to support his allegations of a queue-related conspiracy.
In past elections, Capriles has accused the government of fraud, but has repeatedly failed to provide any evidence to back up his claims. In the 2013 presidential race, Capriles claimed he lost by fraud before official results were released. He later called on his supporters to “unleash their rage” after he narrowly lost to President Nicolas Maduro. In the ensuing violence, around a dozen people were killed.
Despite Sunday's National Assembly election being calm, there have been simmering fears in Venezuela for months of renewed opposition violence.
Maduro himself has repeatedly warned there is a concerted and orchestrated campaign to de-legitimize the elections, while the opposition coalition has refused to commit to recognizing the results, leading to speculation that they may cry fraud should they fail to win.
This content was originally published by teleSUR at the following address:
"http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Venezuela-Opposition-Declares-Victory-Before-Voting-Closes-20151206-0042.html". If you intend to use it, please cite the source and provide a link to the original article. www.teleSURtv.net/english
Telesur
Social media networks are abuzz with potentially bogus election results.
Some of Venezuela's most prominent right-wing opposition leaders claimed victory in the country's legislative elections Sunday, before voting stations had even closed.
Opposition figure Henrique Capriles claimed, “The results are what we were hoping for.”
“We've won Venezuela! It's irreversible,” he tweeted.
“The results are what we were hoping for! We’ve won Venezuela! It’s irreversible! With much humility, serenity and maturity, we presume the people have decided!”
Reuters further reported that three opposition leaders had declared that they had won a legislative majority. Reuters named Capriles, as well as Lilian Tintori, wife of imprisoned Leopoldo Lopez, and another "anonymous" leader.
La Patilla also reported that AD opposition leader Henry Ramos Allup also declared in a press conference that the opposition's "expectations had been surpassed."
In a video, Tintori seen saying, “We won, and we won by so much! More than 100 spots!” while the MUD in a periscope, has declared that “We have received information from all the voting booths … that today the Venezuelan people have won.” Freddy Guevara says in the video, “We have made history ... Now it depends on the CNE to tell Venezuela what Venezuela already knows."
Capriles issued the statement as dozens of unofficial result tallies circulated on social media. Many of the unofficial tallies showed conflicting results. None of the social media accounts contacted by teleSUR for clarification could present sources for their tallies, leaving the credibility of the figures unclear. It's not unusual for misleading claims to be circulated during Venezuelan campaigning season, especially among opposition social media users.
The source of these figures cannot be verified.
At the time Capriles made his claim, voting hadn't even finished, with a number of election stations still open due to long lines. At the time of writing, Venezuela's electoral authority, the CNE, was expected to announce the closure of election stations within a matter of hours. However, the CNE is prohibited by Venezuelan law to close a station if voters are still waiting to cast their ballot. Earlier in the evening, Capriles claimed the lines outside voting stations were somehow fake, and called on his supporters to pressure the CNE to close stations.
Capriles didn't provide any evidence to support his allegations of a queue-related conspiracy.
In past elections, Capriles has accused the government of fraud, but has repeatedly failed to provide any evidence to back up his claims. In the 2013 presidential race, Capriles claimed he lost by fraud before official results were released. He later called on his supporters to “unleash their rage” after he narrowly lost to President Nicolas Maduro. In the ensuing violence, around a dozen people were killed.
Despite Sunday's National Assembly election being calm, there have been simmering fears in Venezuela for months of renewed opposition violence.
Maduro himself has repeatedly warned there is a concerted and orchestrated campaign to de-legitimize the elections, while the opposition coalition has refused to commit to recognizing the results, leading to speculation that they may cry fraud should they fail to win.
This content was originally published by teleSUR at the following address:
"http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Venezuela-Opposition-Declares-Victory-Before-Voting-Closes-20151206-0042.html". If you intend to use it, please cite the source and provide a link to the original article. www.teleSURtv.net/english
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