Venezuelan electoral body at odds with voting services firm

Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-03 07:07:57|Editor: Liu
Video PlayerClose

CARACAS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's top electoral body on Wednesday entered into a dispute with the Venezuelan company that provided voting services for the recent and controversial constituent elections.

The company, Smartmatic, has questioned the official outcome of Sunday's vote, and called for an audit.

The president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Tibisay Lucena, told reporters at a press conference the allegations made by the company were "grave" and "unprecedented."

It is "an unprecedented opinion from a company whose only role in the electoral process is to provide certain services and technical support, which do not determine the outcome," said Lucena.

In a statement and video posted to its website, the company specifically contested the CNE's assertion that 8,089,320 Venezuelans went to the polls to elect the members of a National Constituent Assembly (ANC) to rewrite the Constitution.

"We know, without any doubt, that the turnout ... was manipulated," said the company, adding "we estimate the difference between the actual participation and the one announced by authorities is at least one million votes."

However, the company supplied no proof, asserting only that since the political opposition boycotted the elections, no independent auditors were on hand to verify the results.

Lucena said the company was making "an irresponsible assertion."

The 545 members of the ANC were to be sworn in later in the day.

TOP STORIES
EDITOR’S CHOICE
MOST VIEWED
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011100851364949701