This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22215387
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Venezuela election vote to be audited | Venezuela election vote to be audited |
(35 minutes later) | |
Venezuela's electoral body has announced it will carry out a full audit on all the votes cast in Sunday's disputed presidential poll. | Venezuela's electoral body has announced it will carry out a full audit on all the votes cast in Sunday's disputed presidential poll. |
The announcement comes hours ahead of President-elect Nicolas Maduro's inauguration. | The announcement comes hours ahead of President-elect Nicolas Maduro's inauguration. |
Opposition leader Henrique Capriles has challenged Mr Maduro's narrow victory, calling for a vote-by-vote recount. | Opposition leader Henrique Capriles has challenged Mr Maduro's narrow victory, calling for a vote-by-vote recount. |
The decision to audit all the paper receipts of electronic votes is seen as a major concession to the opposition. | |
The electoral authorities had earlier audited 54% of the vote and said this showed that Mr Maduro, the chosen successor of the late President Hugo Chavez, had won a slim majority. | The electoral authorities had earlier audited 54% of the vote and said this showed that Mr Maduro, the chosen successor of the late President Hugo Chavez, had won a slim majority. |
The official count indicates Mr Maduro won by a narrow margin of about 1.5%, winning 50.8% of votes to Mr Capriles's 49.0% | The official count indicates Mr Maduro won by a narrow margin of about 1.5%, winning 50.8% of votes to Mr Capriles's 49.0% |
Mr Capriles said he believed the crucial votes that cost him the presidency are among the unaudited 46% of the vote. | Mr Capriles said he believed the crucial votes that cost him the presidency are among the unaudited 46% of the vote. |
He said there were more than 300,000 incidents from Sunday's poll that needed to be examined. | |
Correspondents say the announcement comes as a surprise to many after the National Electoral Council initially said the the results, which it announced on Sunday night, were "irreversible". | |
The council's president, Tibisay Lucena, told AFP news agency that the expanded audit was not a recount but would cover all ballot boxes not audited on election day by reviewing a sample two-thirds of them over the next month. | |
Venezuela uses electronic voting machines which register an elector's decision and then emit a printed receipt for the voter to deposit into a sealed ballot box. For the audit, the receipts will be compared with the electronic tallies, to check for any irregularities. | |
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Cuban leader Raul Castro were among the first heads of state to congratulate Mr Maduro on his win. | Russian President Vladimir Putin and Cuban leader Raul Castro were among the first heads of state to congratulate Mr Maduro on his win. |
The governments of Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia and Argentina, among others, have also voiced their backing for Mr Maduro's victory. | The governments of Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia and Argentina, among others, have also voiced their backing for Mr Maduro's victory. |
But the US has so far refused to recognise Mr Maduro's win, calling for an audit of the results. | But the US has so far refused to recognise Mr Maduro's win, calling for an audit of the results. |
Secretary of State John Kerry said the US was not yet ready to validate the results of Sunday's poll. | Secretary of State John Kerry said the US was not yet ready to validate the results of Sunday's poll. |
Several opposition-led protests erupted across the country after the official results were announced on Sunday. | Several opposition-led protests erupted across the country after the official results were announced on Sunday. |
But Mr Capriles has urged his supporters to back down from confrontation and instead engage in peaceful rallies, play music and bang on pots in protest. | But Mr Capriles has urged his supporters to back down from confrontation and instead engage in peaceful rallies, play music and bang on pots in protest. |
Mr Maduro is scheduled to be sworn in at 15:30 GMT. | Mr Maduro is scheduled to be sworn in at 15:30 GMT. |