CARACAS, April 5 – The Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) will ensure security at Venezuela’s presidential election on April 14 with the deployment of 141,000 troops, officials said. Major General Wilmer Barrientos, head of the FANB Strategic Operational Command said that mobilisation will begin on April 9, prioritising sites with difficult access.
The military, in coordination with the various police forces and the National Guard (GNB), will be present in 23 states and the Capital District, he said in a statement to Venezolana de Television. The role of the Republica Plan, activated in the electoral process, aims to preserve peace during elections, as has been done ever since 1960.
The Republica Plan, said Barrientos, focuses on transportation, care and custody of election materials and maintaining security at the polls. He also said officers have been instructed to refrain from entering the area where polling stations are located, unless requested to do so in exceptional situations.
“We always fulfill our work under the Constitution and laws of the country,” said Barrientos.
He further questioned the opposition complaints about an alleged plot involving the FANB in mobilising voters to vote for the Socialist presidential candidate, Nicolas Maduro. He said that the document containing the project which was introduced by the right-wing bloc has no connection with the official documents issued by the Strategic Operational Command.
BERNAMA
