Venezuelan election turnout figures manipulated by 1 million votes - election company

Record ID: 904981

  • Title: Venezuelan election turnout figures manipulated by 1 million votes - election company
  • Date: 2nd August 2017
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (AUGUST 2, 2017) (REUTERS) SMARTMATIC CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ANTONIO MUGICA, WALKING INTO NEWS CONFERENCE TELEVISION CREWS FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SMARTMATIC CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ANTONIO MUGICA, SAYING: "Smartmatic has provided election technology and support services in Venezuela since 2004. Even in moments of deep political conflict and division we have been satisfied that the voting process and the count has been completely accurate. It is therefore with the deepest regret that we have to report that the turnout numbers on Sunday 30th of July for the Constituent Assembly in Venezuela were tampered with." TELEVISION CAMERAS AT THE NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) SMARTMATIC CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ANTONIO MUGICA, SAYING: "An audit would allow everyone to know the exact participation. We estimate the difference between the actual participation and the one announced by authorities is at least 1 million votes. It is important to point out that this would not have occurred if the auditors of all political parties had been present at every stage of the election. Thank you very much." MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICER TALKING TO JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SMARTMATIC CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ANTONIO MUGICA, SAYING: "Smartmatic has provided election technology and support services in Venezuela since 2004. Even in moments of deep political conflict and division we have been satisfied that the voting process and the count has been completely accurate. It is therefore with the deepest regret that we have to report that the turnout numbers on Sunday 30th of July for the Constituent Assembly in Venezuela were tampered with." REPORTER AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SMARTMATIC CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ANTONIO MUGICA, SAYING: "An audit would allow everyone to know exact participation. We estimate the difference between the actual participation and the one announced by authorities is at least 1 million votes. It is important to point out that this would not have occurred if the auditors of all political parties had been present at the different stages of the election. Thank you very much." MUGICA LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 16th August 2017 15:39
  • Keywords: Venezuela Constitutional Assembly election fraud turnout figures manipulated Smartmatic electronic voting system CEO Antonio Mugica
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016SGSAIV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Turnout figures in Venezuela's Constitutional Assembly election were manipulated up by least 1 million votes, Smartmatic, a company which has worked with Venezuela since 2004 on its voting system, said on Wednesday (August 2).
    Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica told a news conference in London that the company was able to detect the overstated officially announced turnout because of Venezuela's automated election system.
    Smartmatic has provided electronic voting technology for elections around the world.
    Mugica declined to directly answer whether the manipulated turnout numbers changed the result of the election, in which authorities said 8.1 million people voted.
    The election of the legislative super-body has been decried by critics as illegitimate and designed to give the unpopular government of President Nicolas Maduro powers to rewrite the constitution and sideline the opposition-led congress.
    Mugica said the authorities in Venezuela would likely not be sympathetic to his comments and that he had not yet passed the evidence to the Venezuela's electoral council.
    According to internal electoral council data previously reviewed by Reuters, only 3.7 million people had voted by 5:30 p.m. in Venezuela's election on Sunday.
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