Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro updating the Venezuelan people about the emergency response in the Cumanacoa region that was hit by Hurricane Beryl, in a televised broadcasr from Miraflores Palace, July 3, 2024. Photo: Presidential Press.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned the latest sabotage attempt against the electrical grid, this time targeting Margarita Island in the state of Nueva Esparta, just weeks before the presidential election.
“It has been reported that there was an attempt to cut the submarine cable that supplies electricity to Margarita Island,” the Venezuelan president said on Wednesday, July 3, adding that this attempt is part of the “electrical war that aims to cause suffering for the people of Venezuela.”
The Venezuelan head of state accused the extreme right for sabotages against the National Electrical System and critical insfrastructure such as the Angostura bridge in Bolívar state.
He said that the extreme right “wants violence and rioting” again, and he urged the people and the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) to safeguard the peace that has cost so much effort.
The president made these statements during the ceremony to promote generals, admirals, and other military personnel who ranked first in the order of merit for each promotion and category of the FANB.
As for the extreme right, he issued a harsh warning: “I have very bad news for the oligarchy: you cannot screw Venezuela. Venezuela will have peace and stability.”
Sabotage is being investigated
In Nueva Esparta state, authorities are investigating the attempted sabotage of the submarine cable that supplies electricity to the island. If the sabotage had been successful, it could have affected more than 60% of the population in 11 municipalities of the island.
This was reported by Tourism Minister Ali Padrón, who explained that the cable is 37 kilometers long and runs from the Chacopata sector in the state of Sucre to the La Isleta sector in García municipality of Nueva Esparta state.
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“They tried to cut the submarine cable to cause serious harm to the population of the state, especially of Margarita Island,” Padrón explained. “Had they succeeded, it would have caused a serious disruption to economic activity as well as to public services in hospitals and clinics, and in general to the social life of the state and Margarita Island. That is why President Nicolás Maduro has ordered an investigation to find those responsible for these terrorist acts.”
Admiral Giuseppe Alessandrello, liaison of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) in the state of Nueva Esparta, said that this act of vandalism was reported by the people, who had alerted the authorities in a timely manner so that the sabotage could be prevented. He added that this type of action is typical of extreme-right groups during election time.
“Who would be affected by a power outage of that magnitude that would leave more than half of the population of Nueva Esparta without service? How many days would it take to repair the electrical system, while hospitals would be unable to provide service, tourism activity would be affected while we are at the threshold of the high tourist season in the state?” Admiral Alessandrello said, condemning the sabotage attempt.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
