MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Opposition parties will be barred from 2018 presidential vote, Maduro anticipates
President Nicolas Maduro announced Sunday that leading opposition parties will be barred from taking part in next year's presidential vote after they boycotted mayoral polls, in a move set to further consolidate his grip on power. That includes the groups of key figures who have led street protests against his rule such as Henrique Capriles, Leopoldo Lopez and others, Maduro told reporters after casting his vote in the municipal polls. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesA cardboard polling booth, I have seen it all. So how is dictatorships going down in South America?
Dec 11th, 2017 - 11:58 am - Link - Report abuse -1Can't even afford decent polling booths.How the population suffer under these numpties.
“despite an approval rating of around 30%”
Dec 11th, 2017 - 07:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0This is not a problem for Maduro's election chances, nor would an approval rating of 2% be.
He is going to be the only candidate.
Wow. Maduro is planning Soviet-style show elections and he's still 6 times as popular as Temer.
Dec 11th, 2017 - 09:40 pm - Link - Report abuse +1Also, what's wrong with cardboard polling booths? Seems they would do the job of providing privacy perfectly adequately. There's a lot of really serious problems in this election to complain about.
”If they don't want elections, what are they doing? What's the alternative? (Civil) war?” the president asked, visibly angry.”
Dec 12th, 2017 - 09:44 pm - Link - Report abuse -1Maduro, they DO want elections....HONEST ones....otherwise, what's the point, you ignorant bus driver ...
@DT
what's wrong with cardboard polling booths ??? must be referring to the boxes with the opening on the top, in which the votes are collected - they can be easily tampered with, but not that this would be a problem in VZ...
I thought he meant the thing Maduro is standing behind in the picture. It looks like an unfolded cardboard box. I don't see a problem with using cardboard for privacy, it's opaque which is the important thing, and that's the least of their problems anyway.
Dec 12th, 2017 - 10:53 pm - Link - Report abuse +1How do you vote in Brazil? Paper ballots? Do you have to show ID?
@DT
Dec 13th, 2017 - 02:08 am - Link - Report abuse -1I suppose that a cardboard screen or a curtained booth are equally effective for privacy.
Here we have electronic voting machines - also placed behind a cardboard screen - but here too, the results can be manipulated : either the machines can be programmed to change the result of a ballot, or the results can be tampered with when being transmitted to the central polling stations....the authorities refuse to admit this possibility, or to even listen to the IT experts, despite past occurrences they are unable to explain....one such (of many) episode(s), in some small, faraway location, a candidate for mayor received at least 10 votes (from his family)...the machine did not register any votes for him, not even his own.
You need to present official photo ID, and to sign a computerised list, where everyone's name is listed in alphabetical order. This may eliminate people from voting twice, or dead people from voting, but that is irrelevant if the machine can be programmed to alter results in such a way that cannot be readily detected.
Maduro just got what he wanted: A communist dictatorship. Let's face it. He won. At this point the only possible way out will be a civil war.
Dec 15th, 2017 - 04:15 pm - Link - Report abuse -1@JB
Dec 15th, 2017 - 07:07 pm - Link - Report abuse +1I never understood why countries would adopt those electronic machines when they seem to make fraud so easy. I've seen lots of Americans complaining about them too.
We still vote the old fashioned way by putting a cross on a piece of paper, and to vote you must be registered and give your name and address at the polling station, but no ID is required. We don't have a national ID card anyway.
Even so, it's thought most of the electoral fraud in the UK is due to postal voting.
@DT
Dec 16th, 2017 - 03:26 pm - Link - Report abuse -1Today, with so much disunity amongst political factions and their ambition to get to where they can steal with impunity, it's not surprising that fraud has become the norm to get the desired result. Brazilians are definitely extremely creative, especially when it comes down to using their talent to break the law.
Chile shows Latín América how democracy is most effective. Piñera wins tonight with over 54% of the popular vote tonight. ¡VIVA CHILE!
Dec 17th, 2017 - 11:12 pm - Link - Report abuse -1Commenting for this story is now closed.
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