'El Firmazo' signature campaign revealed as 'El Fracaso'

www.vheadline.com Posted: Sunday, February 16, 2003 By: David Coleman

According to statistics provided by Venezuela's opposition-controlled television channels, the nationwide 'El Firmazo' signature campaign held two weekends ago, was a dismal failure.  While there have been hyped-up claims of 4.3 million signatures collected, it has been shown to be physically impossible counting on a total 4,300 official signature tables and an average recorded through-put of 12 persons per hour at each table from 5:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

4,300 x 12 x 14 = 722,400 according to our calculations!

To achieve the claimed 4.3 million signatures there would have to have been almost six (6) times as many signature tables (25,595) but organizers are now being forced to admit that only 588,000 signature were collected and the vote-counting organization SUMATE must still check signatures and ID numbers against official voting records to claim any success in the dubious vote which even the opposition has been forced to admit has no legal validity.

Independent observers say that many signatures appear ten or more times in the tally and that a fairly large percentage of the voters used false IDs or were ineligible to vote ... the opposition media is remaining silent about the vote although announcements had been promised as early as last weekend.