Calm Expected For Venezuelan Elections
Less than 48 hours before Sunday s presidential elections in Venezuela, local authorities and diverse social sectors are guaranteeing a normal, peaceful election and are joined by the major media in urging people to vote.

There is a high degree of security in place, including 380 public defenders and 400 judges who, according to Supreme Court Justice Omar Mora, were ready in past elections and, as before, are not expected to be needed.

In a news conference Friday, Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel assured that the Venezuelan government will offer all necessary protection to the 16 million registered voters.

A strong guarantee of this will be offered by Plan Republica, which Defense Minister Raul Baduel explained involves 128,900 soldiers to assure security during and after the election.

German Yepez, head of the National Electoral Board (CNE), basing his criteria on conversations with participating political parties, concurred with Congress President Cilia Flores in expecting a massive voter turnout with low absenteeism.

The choice for the voters in some 11,000 national polling places is clear between reelection of patent favorite President Hugo Chavez, and his modern socialist program already in march, and the neoliberalism promoted by Zulia Governor Manuel Rosales, his principal opponent.

Guaranteeing a fair and transparent process, the CNE made a special plea to the opposition to respect the results of Sunday s vote.