Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

OAS to observe Venezuela's presidential election
11-24-2006

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters): The Organization of American States will observe Venezuela's December 3 presidential election, an OAS official said on Thursday, ensuring the presence of top Western diplomatic bodies in what may be a contentious vote.

Leftist President Hugo Chavez is favored to beat rival Manuel Rosales in polls. But Rosales recently warned of possible fraud and opposition leaders frequently accuse the state's electoral authority of favoring Chavez.

Mission chief Juan Fischer told reporters about 60 OAS observers would ensure citizens can "vote without any type of pressure" and that vote tallying would be done transparently.

Some 130 representatives from the European Union and eight to 10 observers from the Atlanta-based Carter Center also will oversee the vote.

Venezuela's opposition in 2004 accused electoral authorities of rigging a recall referendum on Chavez's rule, though the OAS and the Carter Center backed Chavez's overwhelming victory.

The two agencies were harshly criticized by the government in the leadup to the recall vote, and then lambasted by opposition leaders in its wake.