July 25th
* Foreign missions started visiting the places where the National Electoral Council (CNE) and experts from higher education centers are conducting an audit of the Electoral Register.

In a press release, CNE said the foreign observers are to meet with the experts carrying out the survey.

On July 24th, a delegation from the Belgian Parliament and a representation from the Latin American Committee of Electoral Experts (Ceela) officially joined the audit of the Venezuelan voters' census.

The audit is being conducted by six national universities and the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), the official news agency ABN reported.

The Belgian delegation is headed by the president of the Venezuela-Belgium inter-parliamentarian group, Sofía Bouarfa; and also comprises Jacinta de Roeck, a member of this group and member of the Socialist Flemish Party.

The Ceela mission includes Nicanor Moscoso, Alfredo Arévalo, Eugenio Chicas, Tito Antonio Bazán, Jairo García and Daniel Gascué.

* National Electoral Council (CNE) head Tibisay Lucena and director Germán Yépez, a member of the Political Participation and Funding Committee, announced the beginning of the presidential election campaign from August 1st, and explained that the calls for abstention will be regulated.

During the show of the Electoral Power, "Sufragio", aired on Radio Nacional de Venezuela (RNV), the directors dealt with the provisions governing political advertising.

As reported by them, many hours have been spent to discuss the regulations, as they should take into account that for the first time in the Venezuelan contemporary history, the president is running for re-election.

As stated in a press release from the Electoral Power, the regulations will point to organized sectors trying to use the calls for abstention as a political tool. The provisions intend to prohibit "any discouragement from exercising the right to vote."

July 26th
* The National Assembly special committee in charge of delving into the funding of non-governmental organization Súmate to conduct the opposition primaries made an urgent call for Súmate leaders to appear in the legislature next August 2nd to provide an explanation regarding the claims the president of the Venezuelan Exchange Administration Board (Cadivi) made in connection with the association.

The president of the National Assembly special committee José Albornoz said further investigation is required, but stated that Súmate "has not registered with Cadivi" for the purposes of purchasing US dollars.

The committee is also to interrogate officials with the Bank Superintendence, the National Customs and Tax Integrated Service (Seniat), and representatives of domestic firms allegedly providing funds to Súmate for the opposition primary election, Albornoz said.

* During the presidential election next December 3rd, 53-55 percent of votes will be audited, that is, a check will be made in the polling station when casting the vote, National Electoral Council (CNE) director Tibisay Lucena reported.

"We understand that it is a very wide margin. Also we will check the software and the counting system," she commented.

While she thinks that one or two percent is enough for the analysis, CNE "is willing to instill confidence into voters."

Also, as reported by the Electoral Power Commission on Political Participation and Funding, from July 27th to August 31st, voters' groups and candidates willing to take part in the presidential election should submit their accounting books to CNE, an essential requirement to launch the campaign.

* Opposition Copei leader Enrique Naime condemned again the voters' register. His party, he argued, handles "full, instead of partial information" about the electoral registry.

Over the last three weeks, Copei members have assessed the status of the electoral census "as a whole, with addresses, as we have all the information from the Bureau for Nationals and Foreigners' Identification (Onidex) and we have also the technical report of the Electoral Advisory and Promotion Center (Capel)."

Naime dismissed the Capel report and claimed that the whole staff employed for the fingerprint study "was managed exclusively by people selected by the National Electoral Council (CNE)."

He asked CNE to clarify the irregularities and added that his party would disclose the findings of its assessment of the voters' register.

* Non-governmental organization "Súmate does not need to register with the Forex Administration Board (Cadivi) as the association has never received US dollars from any organization," said Alejandro Plaz, president of Súmate.

Plaz' comments came in response to pro-government parliamentarian José Albornoz (PPT), who claimed that Súmate has received US dollar donations and yet it has not registered with Cadivi, the body regulating foreign exchange in Venezuela.

Plaz explained that all of the contributions Súmate has received from US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and from all of the other foreign groups that have collaborated with Súmate have been delivered in Venezuelan bolivars.

Plaz added that he was not served any notice to occur to the National Assembly for purposes of being interrogated in connection with an investigation into Súmate funding to conduct the opposition primary election.

July 27th
* Based on a comparative analysis between the electoral laws in Germany, Costa Rica, Argentina and Uruguay and the electoral legal framework in Venezuela, experts of The Carter Center concluded that Venezuela needs to resume public and private funding of political organizations, and claimed that such a practice "facilitates competitiveness in the electoral process."

Héctor Vanolli, the delegate of The Carter Center in Venezuela, disclosed the research entitled "Reflections and Contributions for the Reform of the Venezuelan Electoral Legislation" before the media, political parties and the National Electoral Council (CNE).

The study noted that as of 1999 Venezuela eliminated any funding for political parties and electoral campaigns, thus becoming the only country in the hemisphere that does not provide any public financial aid, either direct or indirect, to such activities.

Vanolli stressed that funding of electoral campaigns guarantees the participation of political players in the electoral contest, regardless their funding by private organizations, and avoids likely influence peddling or sequestration by private donors of the policy-making process.

* In its latest nationwide opinion poll, conducted on June 10-19 in 1,300 respondents, research firm Datanálisis found that rather than the opposition primary election Venezuelans endorse the selection of one single opposition candidate to face Hugo Chávez in next December 3rd presidential election.

In an interview with eluniversal.com, Datanálisis director Luis Vicente León said 32.8 percent -one third- of Venezuelans are to participate in the primaries. But he clarified that such a percentage cannot be estimated as the real turnout.

"Obviously, turnout in the primaries will be significantly lower than that (32.8 percent)." He explained that the figures mirror the people's interest in holding the primaries. This means that two thirds of Venezuelans "are neither interested in the primaries nor see the primaries as an attractive event."

He added that 19.4 percent of pro-government respondents said they planned to vote in the opposition primary election, which means that some 12 percent of voters taking part in the primaries would be pro-government voters.

The poll concluded that Venezuelans "do not want the primaries indeed; what they want is to select one single opposition candidate. The message here is that people are not supporting the primary election, but they are actually endorsing a process to select one single opposition candidate."

Regarding vote intention in the presidential election, opposition candidates Manuel Rosales and Julio Borges are in a technical tie with 9 percent and 8.1 percent, respectively.

The overall vote intention for the opposition pre-candidates is 19.3 percent, compared to 55 percent for President Hugo Chávez. León stressed that 45 percent of Venezuelans do not want to vote for Chávez, but only 19.3 percent are to vote for an opposition candidate.

* The National Electoral Council (CNE) plans to approve on July 28th or by July 31st at the latest, the standards on publicity and advertising that will govern the election campaign for the presidential election next December 3rd, CNE president Tibisay Lucena said.

The official labeled as "very productive" a meeting held with media representatives to discuss the bill previously disclosed by CNE. She expected to receive over the next few hours the remarks in writing.

Due to the hurry to approve the regulations before the election campaign, starting August 1st, the media should send their recommendations by July 28th midday.

Lucena ensured that the suggestions shall be borne in mind, as well as the remarks made by political parties. She undertook to discuss the reservations voiced about the use of joint broadcasting by President Hugo Chávez and governors.

In the name of the media, Alberto Federico Ravell, director of TV news channel Globivisión, regarded the meeting as positive and is confident that CNE will provide clear rules on public officials' acts during the election campaign.

* Over 82 percent of polling stations for primary election of a single opposition candidate have already volunteer staff totally appointed.

"In the country's major, most populous states, such as Zulia, Lara, Capital District, Miranda, Carabobo, Aragua, Anzoátegui and Monagas, we have an average even superior to 90 percent of the staff appointed already," NGO Súmate director Alejandro Plaz stated.

The speaker advised that Súmate representatives are on tour around other states that need reinforcement to complete the number of volunteers.

He called Venezuelans to join the effort, not only as members of polling stations, but to help with security, counting, logistics, and mobilization.

Plaz informed that beginning this weekend, an election set will be assembled. The educational material is aimed at training volunteers. A guide in hard copy and a video started to be distributed nationwide.

* Opposition Alianza Bravo Pueblo (ABP) resolved to take part neither in primary election to choose a single opposition candidate nor in presidential polls next December 3rd. According to ABP head Antonio Ledezma, the necessary conditions are not present.

The leader criticized pre-candidates for their willingness to join the elections, as the issue of election conditions has not been solved yet.

Ledezma made reference to inconsistencies in the voters' register (RE). "This is just fraud," he commented.

For his part, Enrique Naime, coordinator of election affairs at opposition Copei party, denounced that 1,683,076 voters in the voters' register have unknown gender.

"It seems to us that this is very serious. The law states clearly that the register should set forth, in addition to name and last name, and identity card number, the voter's gender," Naime said.

* Presidential hopeful Benjamín Rausseo, a renowned comedian and businessman, said his political organization Partido Independiente Electoral de Respuesta Avanzada - Piedra-  (Electoral Independent Party of Advanced Response) would be officially registered with the National Electoral Council next week.

Following a meeting with CNE director Vicente Díaz in CNE headquarters, Rausseo, widely known as "Er Conde" (The Earl), said he would move swiftly to solve the problems that prevented registration of his party.

"Within a week, at the latest, Piedra will be officially registered and will be able to nominate Benjamín Rausseo for the presidential election (to be held next December 3rd)," he said.

Rausseo added his nomination would come in the second week of August, following a national tour.

He ensured he is working seriously for his candidacy and denied claims he is receiving funds from foreign countries.

July 28th
* Under a decision made by the Constitutional Court, Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ), President Hugo Chávez will not have to resign for the purposes of re-election next December 3rd.

The Court overruled a petition made by the National Electoral Council (CNE) to review a ruling of the Electoral Court. According to the judgment made in March 2006, public servants applying for a seat by means of popular elections should quit their current position.