The primary elections in Venezuela last Sunday were undoubtedly an absolute success for technology at the service of democracy.
Venezuela had never seen a democratic exercise of this magnitude: 3 million people voted for the candidate who will compete against Hugo Chávez this October. With 60% of the votes, Henrique Capriles became the sole contender for the next round.
This is the first time that Venezuelans are summoned to choose a candidate who will represent about 20 different ideologies during the next presidential elections. “Venezuela woke up with a new political reality,” said Capriles.
Tibisay Lucena, president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), commended the transparency and efficiency with which the voting process was carried out. This major achievement is due, in no small part, to the effectiveness displayed by the e-voting operators during the elections. By 10:30am on Sunday, 100% of the voting machines in Caracas were working according to plan, and all eventualities throughout the day were duly fixed.
The outstanding results of this journey represent the triumph of democracy. They also reaffirm how reliable technology can be at assisting the exercise of the fundamental right to vote.
