Venezuelan electoral system improved significantly

Venezuela's automated electoral system has been improved significantly, as votes can be easily audited and verified, the nation's top election official said Tuesday. In an interview aired on state-owned Venezolana de Television (VTV), Venezuela's National Electoral Council (NEC) President Tibisay Lucena said: "In Venezuela we defeated electoral fraud ... with an automated system and with technology." Some of the most significant recent changes to the electoral system, she said, include upgrading the Voter Registry to include some 20 percent of Venezuelans over 18 who were not included, and improving the allocation of the voting centers. "The implementation of a technological platform has been a great step for the NEC. We have been through an enormous transformation in 14 years and in this period we have proven the solidity of the electoral system," said Lucena. The Venezuelan government began the implementation of a tamper-proof electoral system in 2003, and it is constantly undergoing improvement, she said. Venezuela is holding local elections nationwide on Dec. 8. In June, the NEC chief said Venezuela's electoral system is "armored against fraud and error" when she reaffirmed that President Nicolas Maduro won the April 14 presidential elections after a recount. Opposition said the recount, which started on April 29 and concluded on June 9, was "a bogus audit."