June 22, 2006
Venezuela invites European Union to witness presidential election

(El Universal) - "The National Electoral Council (CNE) sent a formal invitation to the European Union to take part as electoral observer in next December 3rd presidential election.

CNE president Tibisay Lucena personally invited Daniele Smadja, director of European Union Electoral Affairs, and Eneko Landaburu, general director of European Union Foreign Affairs, CNE said in a press release.

Belgian senator Sofia Bouarfa, president of Venezuela-Belgium Inter-Parliament Group, and Willy Meyer Pleite, of the Confederal Group of the European United Left, also showed interest in witnessing the election.

During her recent international tour, Lucena also met with representatives of the top electoral bodies in Finland , Belgium and Switzerland and urged them to appoint technical experts as observers of the current audit of the voters' census the CNE, together with seven universities and the Venezuelan Sicientific Research Institute (IVIC), are conducting".