• Submitted by: manso
• international
• 09 / 25 / 2010

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Venezuela Major General Henry Rangel said the Armed Forces along with the militias will guard the polling stations before and during Sunday's Parliamentary elections.

Rangel heads Plan República, a 250,000-member security body whose deployment, he explained, is among the measures to secure the 12,200 voting offices, the logistics, including 36,000 registration tables, and the voters.

Rangel told Venevisión the strategy will guarantee success of the September 26 polls by providing custody to 705 installations to prevent sabotage of the national electricity network, although the vote machines are totally automated and fitted with supplementary power generators providing eight-hour autonomy.

Additional measures to ensure peaceful, successful elections include a ban on carrying weapons and on alcohol beverage sales, while heavy vehicle circulation will be restricted to water, food, medicine and fuel transportation.

Source: PL