 |
A note by the Foreign Ministry said that the EU parliament member was invited to leave the country in order to preserve the atmosphere of peace and secure the normal development of a referendum scheduled for tomorrow.
Reporting on the departure, Venezolana de Television showed a videotape of Herrero telling an unidentified interlocutor by the telephone that: I would like to say that police officers have been very polite; they are following orders, but they have acted very properly; I have nothing to say against it.
Previously, the National Electoral Council decided not to issue the official document as political observer to Herrero, who was invited by the pro-NO bloc because he made remarks detrimental to the Electoral Power and the tranquility of the process.
President of the National Electoral Council Tibisay Lucena said that in view of the seriousness of Herrero"s remarks, Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro was requested to ask the National Executive to "urge him to leave the country."
Lucena made clear that there are regulations in place regarding international visitors and it is not up to them to judge the Electoral Power"s performance.
Herrero described President Hugo Chavez as a "dictator" and criticized measures taken by the National Electoral Council, including a two-hour extension of voting for the referendum tomorrow.
