VENEZUELA: Observers and voters make final preparations hours before polls open in Venezuela's presidential election

Election observers, government officials and voters made their final preparations on Saturday (December 02) hours before the polls open for Venezuelans highly anticipated presidential election. Sunday's (December 3) vote pits incumbent president Hugo Chavez against the governor of Venezuela's Zulia state, Manuel Rosales. Recent polls have Chavez holding a comfortable double-digit lead over Rosales. Observers from the European Union met with officials from the National Electoral Council late on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, observers from the Organization of American States (OAS) delivered a statement from OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza. "The Secretary-General [referring to OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza] has said that the essential aspects of the process are the guarantee to all the citizenry that they can vote without pressure or influence of any type and a transparent recount of votes that is open to the clear verification of candidates and observers," read the head of the OAS observer mission in Venezuela, Juan Enrique Fisher. At the same time, government ministers turned out one after another to give news conferences on Saturday afternoon. Interior Minister Jesse Chacon assured voters that there would be no fraud and ask for calm when the results are announced. "Venezuelans can be certain that tomorrow they will be able to vote, to choose the President of the Republic of Venezuela from the period of 2007 to 2013 in a very clear, calm and free atmosphere and we - the only thing that we ask is that they help us to maintain this climate that we have today [referring to the peaceful climate] - and that once the National Electoral Council gives the first bulletin of results, that the winners celebrate and those who came in second, that is lost, that they recognize the result," he said. Meanwhile, Saturday was quiet in Rosales' home town of Maracaibo. Dozens of his supporters turned out for a mass in the afternoon, praying for victory. "[We are here] because tomorrow will be a very nice day and a very good day for all of us - that they [God and saints] are looking down on us with love and what comes to us - that is a new president," said Rosales supporter Teresa Hernandez. Polls open at 6 am local time (1000 gmt).

ITN Source | December 3, 2006

Tags:. .process. .met. .european. .victory. .union