The rector of Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE), Socorro Hernández, announced Monday that a more than 17 audits will have been made to the country’s electoral system ahead of the October 7 presidential elections in order to guarantee optimum performance and transparency with the backing of the country’s political parties.

Hernández said in a radio interview that parties like Acción Democrática, Copei, Primero Justicia, and other political organizations aligned with the opposition have access to CNE information.

“Once these processes conclude, a document is drafted and then they [political parties] sign it to approve the audit. This has occurred in previous electoral processes and it will be the case for this occasion,” Hernández said.

She went on to say that when representatives of political parties endorse the audit with the CNE and then attempt to discredit the electoral authority, they are out of line because “from the [voter] registration process, to the selection of polling station members, software, databases and voting machines, everything, absolutely everything is audited.”

Hernández indicated that citizens in Venezuela participate directly in the auditing process. After voting on the electronic machines, citizens also receive a paper receipt which is then placed in a box. After the elections conclude, the receipts are compared to the electronic results in 54 percent of the polling stations nationwide.

YVKE Mundial / Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / July 2, 2012