Venezuelan parliament to investigate origin of financing for opposition primaries

Caracas, Sept 7 (EFE).- The Venezuelan National Assembly’s Domestic Policy Committee is conducting an investigation to determine “the origin of the resources” used to carry out the opposition primaries scheduled for October 22, Chavista deputy Julio García told EFE on Thursday.

García, who is vice president of the permanent committee, said that the investigation is being carried out “directly by captain Diosdado Cabello,” Chavismo’s number two and president of the legislative body.

Cabello said Wednesday during his weekly television program that the opposition’s internal elections will be “a big fraud.”

“They are stealing the money that the gringos give them,” he claimed, adding that he would investigate “where the funds come from, how they come and who delivers them.”

In addition, Cabello claimed that the National Primary Commission (CNP), the body in charge of planning the internal elections, had handed over its organizational responsibilities to a civic association that, according to him, was “accustomed to stealing.”

Cabello also said that he has received complaints from people claiming that their homes will be used as polling stations on the day of the primaries, despite the fact that they did not offer them as such, but rather it was a “unilateral decision” made by the CNP.

María Carolina Uzcátegui, former vice-president of the CNP until last July also denounced on thursday that the location of the voting centers set up for the opposition elections “endangered” the election.

Uzcátegui, in a press conference, assured that the selection of houses, business premises and open spaces as polling places “endangered the primaries, which suffer an enormous risk due to the lack of adequate polling centers.” EFE

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