La CIA desclasifica pruebas de presunto fraude electoral en Venezuela en 2012

The Central Intelligence Agency has released classified documents revealing allegations of election manipulation in Venezuela dating back to the 2012 presidential contest, according to a report published by Euronews. These files, made public following a directive from the White House, provide what the opposition has long sought, official confirmation that the Bolivarian government had the capability to influence election outcomes through technological means. The findings pertain specifically to the 2012 election, in which incumbent President Hugo Chávez narrowly defeated opposition candidate Henrique Capriles. The newly disclosed information indicates that three key state entities, the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN), and the National Electoral Council (CNE), were equipped with the infrastructure necessary to alter vote tallies. According to the CIA, these organizations could have manipulated results using pre-programmed electronic voting machines, potentially shifting at least 1.5 million votes in regions with the highest support for Chávez. However, the documents do not definitively establish whether such alterations occurred during the 2012 election. At the time, Capriles accepted his loss, despite widespread claims of irregularities. Following Chávez’s death in March 2013, his successor, Nicolás Maduro, secured a slim victory over Capriles in the subsequent presidential race. While the opposition raised concerns about potential fraud, the CIA found no conclusive evidence that the results required manipulation. The situation changed significantly with the 2017 National Constituent Assembly election, which saw the opposition boycott the process. It was Smartmatic, the firm responsible for managing the voting technology, that alerted authorities to discrepancies in voter turnout, estimating that at least one million votes were artificially inflated. The Constituent Assembly, originally led by Delcy Rodríguez, was established amid intense political unrest. Its mandate was to draft a new constitution, yet it failed to produce any substantial legal reforms before dissolving. The CIA noted that the same mechanisms used in previous elections remained accessible for the 2020 parliamentary elections. However, the opposition opted not to participate after the ruling party allegedly seized control of registration documents, disqualifying numerous candidates. Both the United States and the European Union rejected the legitimacy of the election. In July 2024, the most severe instance of alleged fraud occurred without requiring advanced technical intervention. The Chavista-aligned administration reportedly manually adjusted vote counts to secure a decisive victory for Maduro over opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia. Official results showed seven million votes for Maduro compared to just three million for González, a disparity that the opposition attributed to direct tampering. The documentation of this outcome relied heavily on QR codes embedded in electoral records, which became crucial evidence in challenging the validity of the election. Despite the collapse of the Maduro regime and the establishment of a transitional government under international oversight, the three agencies identified in the CIA documents continue to operate. The DGCIM, SEBIN, and CNE remain intact, with Elvis Amoroso still serving as head of the CNE. He was the individual who officially certified the disputed 2024 election results on Maduro’s behalf. Currently, discussions are underway regarding the formation of a new electoral commission, though the existing structures have not yet been disbanded. The release of these documents underscores the enduring presence of institutions linked to past electoral controversies. As negotiations progress, the role and future of these bodies will likely remain central to the ongoing political transformation in Venezuela.