Welcome to the Countdown: Top 21 stories of 2017.
by WorldTribune Staff, August 4, 2017
The vote for Venezuela’s new National Constituent Assembly was manipulated “without any doubt,” according to a company which has worked with the country on its voting system since 2004.
“We estimate the difference between the actual participation and the one announced by authorities is at least 1 million votes,” Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica said at a news briefing in London on Aug. 2.
Critics say the vote was designed to give the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro powers to rewrite the constitution.
According to a report by GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs: “The new Assembly theoretically has the power to dismiss any branch of government, including the National Assembly. The National Electoral Council’s claim that almost 8.1 million people (more than 40 percent of the electorate) had voted was rejected not only by Smartmatic, but by Venezuelan opposition leaders. There was no international monitoring in place.”
Smartmatic was the voting machine company established by Venezuelans under late President Hugo Chavez “to provide the Chavez government with its own sense of confidence that it could control the outcome of elections,” the GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs report said.
“Maduro’s sham election is another step toward dictatorship,” U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley tweeted. “We won’t accept an illegit govt. The Venezuelan ppl & democracy will prevail.”
Read Smartmatic’s statement on the Venezuela vote here.
For complete list of the 2017 21 Greatest Hits at WorldTribune.com, Click here:
GREATEST HITS, 21: Report says DNC files were copied, not hacked, 5 days before murder of Seth Rich
GREATEST HITS, 20 — The McCain-Soros connection: How it started
GREATEST HITS, 18: Ten terrorists who took advantage of the porous U.S.-Mexico border
GREATEST HITS, 17: India defies missile-exporting China with cruise missile sale to Vietnam
GREATEST HITS, 16: The GOP is dead, and the ‘Uni-party’ rules
GREATEST HITS, 15: Mugabe breaks down in tears, steps down after 37 years ruling Zimbabwe
GREATEST HITS, 13: Church in revolt at pope’s ‘blessing’ of Islam’s expansion in Europe
GREATEST HITS, 12: Obama now heads a 501(c)(4) dedicated to keeping Trump in its crosshairs
GREATEST HITS, 11: Election software firm confirms Venezuela altered outcome by one million votes
GREATEST HITS, 10: Swedish police admit refugee crime wave is out of their control
GREATEST HITS, 9: Documents appear to implicate State Dept. in cover-up on Clinton emails
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GREATEST HITS, 11: Election software firm confirms Venezuela altered outcome by one million votes added by World Tribune on
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