Following last month’s contested presidential election in Venezuela, officials were quick to blame opponents for disruptions that occurred in the wake of the election. The country woke up to a widespread power outage, with communications Minister Freddy Nanez stating that saboteurs had targeted the national electricity network. Nearly all of the national territory, including the capital Caracas, reported total or partial loss of electricity supply. Nanez claimed that the blackout was a result of electrical sabotage and that the authorities were working to fully restore service. This incident was not unusual in Venezuela, as power cuts are common, although they are typically more localized.
Energy experts have noted that previous power outages in Venezuela were not necessarily the result of sabotage, but rather due to brush fires damaging transmission lines and poor maintenance of the country’s hydroelectric infrastructure. Despite this, following the recent presidential election, officials have continued to attribute disruptions to opponents and saboteurs. Smaller blackouts on Tuesday were also blamed on sabotage by Nanez, coinciding with antigovernment protests the following day. Critics of President Nicolas Maduro used these disruptions as an opportunity to rally opposition to his rule, one month after the election.
Diosdado Cabello, the newly appointed interior minister and believed to be the second most powerful man in the country, accused the opposition of using blackouts as a strategy to impact the population. He stated that the outage on Tuesday was part of a constant strategy by the enemies of the country. Despite the disruptions and accusations, residents of the capital seemed to be taking the situation in stride. The lighter than usual traffic during rush hour indicated that many people were affected by the outage, while some complained about being unable to communicate with family members due to a lack of cellphone service.
The government has activated the entire national government to overcome these disruptions and restore the electricity supply fully. This is not the first time such incidents have occurred in Venezuela, and it remains to be seen how the situation will be resolved. The ongoing political unrest and accusations of sabotage only add to the challenges facing the country as it navigates its way through the aftermath of a contentious presidential election.
