Venezuela: Political Parties and Experts Audit Electoral System

Venezuela's political parties and organizations have audited the voting software to be used in the May 20 presidential elections at the National Electoral Council (CNE), in Caracas.

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Political organizations, members of the national observation delegation and a member of the program for international electoral accompaniment met Thursday in the headquarters of the CNE's Data Center to review the digital program at the center of Venezuela's automated voting system.

The review included a technical analysis of the program's code, the machine's content and the electronic signature that guarantees security.  

CNE technicians generated a shared password for technical auditors and representatives of political organizations. This procedure ensures the voting program cannot be changed by any single party because all individually created passwords must be entered in order to modify it.

Ten political organizations participated in the review, including Progressive Advance, the party of Maduro's main opponent in the elections, Henri Falcon.

Other parties that took part include the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, Movement to Socialism, Authentic Renewal Organization, Communist Party of Venezuela, and Venezuela's Ecological Movement.

The Venezuelan elections have moved forward despite attempts by an important sector of the right-wing opposition to boycott them.

President Maduro has invited both the United Nations and the European Union to send an electoral observation mission, but they have yet to confirm their participation.

Spaisn's former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who mediated the dialogue between the Venezuelan government and the opposition, has confirmed he will be one of the observers.