U.S. Poll Firm in Hot Water in Venezuela over Election
Thursday, August 19, 2004 at 06:56AM
TheSpook
A U.S. firm's exit poll that said
President Hugo Chavez would lose a recall referendum has landed in the
center of a controversy following his resounding victory. "Exit Poll
Results Show Major Defeat for Chavez," the survey, conducted by Penn,
Schoen & Berland Associates, asserted even as Sunday's voting was
still on. But in fact, the opposite was true -- Chavez ended up
trouncing his enemies and capturing 59 percent of the vote. The poll
has become an issue here because the opposition, which mounted the
drive to force the leftist leader from office, insists it shows the
results from the vote itself were fraudulent. The opposition also
claims electronic voting machines were rigged, but has provided no
evidence. Election officials banned publication or broadcast of any
exit polls during the historic vote on whether to oust Chavez, a
populist who has sought to help the poor and is reviled by the wealthy,
who accuse him of stoking class divisions. But results of the Penn,
Schoen & Berland survey were sent out by fax and e-mail to media
outlets and opposition offices more than four hours before polls
closed. It predicted just the opposite of what happened, saying 59
percent had voted in favor of recalling Chavez. [more ]
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