CNE director complains about Fidel Castro's meddling with domestic affairs

Vicente Díaz, a director of Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE), said that the statements made by former Cuban President Fidel Castro are "unfortunate." Castro said that the opposition "will not be able" to defeat Chávez in the presidential elections to be held on October 7.

Díaz, who is the president of the CNE Political Participation and Funding Committee, recalled that the Executive Office has expelled election observers and human rights activists for expressing their view on domestic affairs. The CNE director said that it is a contradiction to expel from Venezuela those who express their opinion on internal affairs and, at the same time, allow "interventionist" statements such as Castro's.

He insisted that the Executive Office belittles Venezuelans residing abroad. According to the CNE director, the fact that the Organic Law on Electoral Processes (Lopre) provides that people living abroad must show that they have a legal residence outside Venezuela to enrol in the register of voters means that Venezuelan electoral authorities are letting other government decide who can participate in Venezuelan elections or not.

Díaz said that it is unacceptable that the government of Barack Obama, based on discretionary criteria requested by the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, decides who the Venezuelan citizens who can vote in elections are.

The CNE director also stressed that the statements of President Hugo Chávez, who said that the Armed Forces "are Chavist," violate the Venezuelan Constitution.