Venezuela Announces New Security Measures for ANC Elections
Venezuela’s electoral authority announced Wednesday new security measures for the upcoming constituent assembly elections.
Puebla, Mexico, June 29, 2017 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela’s electoral authority announced Wednesday new security measures for the upcoming National Constituent Assembly (ANC) elections.
National Electoral Council (CNE) head Tibisay Lucena said the new measures include officially designating all voting stations as “security zones”.
These zones will have security perimeters of 500 metres; comparably, in previous years the security perimeters around voting stations have been closer to 100 metres.
The new security measures were announced in the wake of a helicopter terrorist attack on key government buildings in Caracas, allegedly carried out by a rogue police officer.
Lucena also warned against any attempts to disrupt the vote.
“We have seen that some people have threatened others into not voting,” Lucena said.
She stated the CNE will work closely with other government agencies on election day to crack down on anyone suspected of trying to impede the vote. She also emphasised that criminal charges could be pressed against anyone found to be trying to stop others from voting.
Venezuela’s opposition has vowed to boycott the constituent assembly vote, with protests against the elections scheduled for Thursday.
Once elected, the ANC will have the power to rewrite Venezuela’s constitution, which would subsequently need to be approved by popular referendum. While the opposition has claimed the ANC is part of an attempted power grab by President Nicolas Maduro, supporters of the initiative say it could provide ordinary Venezuelans with a chance to make their voices heard.