Venezuelans line up in Florida to vote in presidential recall

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Wed, Jul. 14, 2004

Venezuelans line up in Florida to vote in presidential recall

BY SANDRA HERNANDEZ
South Florida Sun-Sentinel


MIAMI - (KRT) - Ramon Gonzalez carefully presses his ink-stained thumb on a square pad of paper, wipes his hand clean and then breathes a sigh of relief.He has finally registered to vote in the upcoming Aug. 15 recall vote to decide the fate of Venezuela's embattled president. "I have voted in every election since 1959 and I wasn't about to miss the referendum," said Gonzalez in an ad hoc office set up by Venezuela's Consulate General in Miami to register voters.
(snip)

By law, Venezuelans living outside that country are allowed to cast ballots in national elections but must register at their local consulate. But like all things related to the recall, a new controversy has erupted locally over the way Venezuelan officials in Miami are registering voters from Georgia to North Carolina.
Chavez opponents accuse the consulate of creating hurdles to prevent them from voting him out of office. Consular officials counter they are literally working overtime, recently adding weekends to accommodate South Florida's Venezuelan community.

At the center of the controversy is the South Florida consulate's ability to deal with the dramatic influx of Venezuelans in recent years. The battle is set against a fierce political fight that divides that country and has resulted in the exodus of thousands to South Florida.
(snip)

"The law requires (the consulate) to register people and they really aren't doing that," said Luis Prieto, of Todos Por Venezuela, or All for Venezuela, a South Florida group that hopes to vote Chavez out. "We understand problems arise but they have a very negative attitude. They don't put enthusiasm into their work. They make no effort. So for example, if the office is scheduled to close at 1 p.m. they will close the doors at 12:55. If there is a holiday they will take it off."
(snip/...)

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/9151090.htm
(Free registration required)

:scared: :scared: :scared:



How much must the opposition be forced to endure?

[tkmorris]

1. "How much must the opposition be forced to endure?"

If the office is scheduled to close at 1 pm they sometimes close their doors at 12:55? Hell, my local Publix does that. You're kidding right?

[Judi Lynn]

2. Absolutamente!

I scoff at these pathetic wastes of space.





I have no respect for the wealthy opposition who see their racist, European descended domination and utter control of their country as being acceptable, while a VAST number of Venezuelans are forced to live out their lives under horrendous conditions.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

4. With the new voting machines it'll probably be a lot easier to

disenfranchise the people than closing down 5 minutes early

[Judi Lynn]

7. Possible bumpy ride again, AGAIN, no matter what the results

of the recall, according to this article. (Who knows WHAT the hell we are being fed in the press anymore!)

Weapons proliferate in Venezuela

Supporters and opponents of President Chávez are reportedly forming militias in the run-up to next month's referendum.

By Mike Ceaser | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

CARACAS, VENEZUELA – In a Venezuela deeply polarized over President Hugo Chávez, reports of groups arming themselves have raised the specter that an Aug. 15 recall vote on Mr. Chávez could trigger violence if the losing side refuses to accept the result.
The conflict over Chávez's rule has already left several dozen dead in street confrontations and has been punctuated by unsolved bomb attacks on political targets. Representatives of both sides - supporters who say Chávez is the savior of the poor, opponents who say he is an authoritarian who has run the country's economy into the ground - have accused each other of arming irregular paramilitary groups.
(snip)

Besides feeding fears of political violence, the profusion of guns and other light arms here has fueled a soaring rate of violent crime. Anti-Chávez newspapers regularly headline the latest murder tolls as a sign of growing lawlessness. And in a recent series of spectacular robberies, attackers have blown open armored cars using rocket-propelled grenades.

Colombian connection

Venezuela is only one example of a continent-wide problem. In neighboring Colombia, outlaw groups fighting a 40-year civil war are trading drugs for arms in international markets. In Haiti, disarming the paramilitary gangs that drove out President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February has become one of the greatest challenges for peacekeepers there. Such light arms are favored tools of terrorists and criminals from the Middle East to North Africa to South America. While the international focus is often on weapons of mass destruction, light weapons kill hundreds of thousands of people each year.
(snip/...)

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0713/p06s01-woam.html

[OnTheUpandDown]

5. pathetic wastes of space?

Just because these citizens choose to vote against socialism it makes them "pathetic wastes of space?" What makes you feel that everyone should vote as you or they become "pathetic wastes of space" if they cast a vote different than yours?

[Judi Lynn]

6. Just what DO you actually know about Hugo Chavez?

Ordinarily you don't hear people describing his government as a "socialist" government.

As a lib'rul, I DO NOT support right-wing oligarchies, like the long, long line of Venezuelan Presidents leading up to Hugo Chavez, including the impeached previous President, Carlos Andres Perez, who ordered the shooting of many poor Venezuelans in "El Caracazo."

On edit:
It's always good to see a visitor trying to spot the "commies!" Gotta call 'em out if you think you see them, right?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

8. Hi there newcomer - hope you enjoy your stay!

:hi:

[Laughing Mirror]

3. They just must not be thrilled taking the prints

off the fingers of hands that will try anything to get Chavez out of office, overwhelming the consulates by the hundreds and thousands.

I'm curious about the fingerprinting for registering to vote. Is that because it's at a consulate or is fingerprinting of voters done in the country as well? Good measure, along with signature, against voting fraud I would think.

[lottie244]

9. Son't you just love the people who leave their country to oppose their own

government? Why not stay home and force the changes. It is really easy to criticize and beg for violent overthrow of your government when you live comfortably in another country. Like some Iraqis who haven't set foot in Iraq for over 35 years and some during their entire life.

[bemildred]

10. Fingerprinting:

Step 2: The president searches the notebook for the voter,
and if he is in the registry, the voter is permitted to sign and
stamp his fingerprint in the notebook, indicating that he
exercised his right to vote. The president holds the card while
the person votes. Up to this point, the procedure is the same
as for traditional voting.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1197