Venezuela Guarantees Election Security
The Venezuelan electoral system has guaranteed security at the December 3 presidential balloting with the activation of the Armed Forces´ Republic Plan.

Gen. Wilfredo Silva, head of the National Unified Army Command, said the operation ending December 19 involves 125,000 troops, among them 18,000 reservists.

He explained the action has three phases, and the first began September 1 with the preparation of officials, voting places, electoral logistics plus the transportation of voting materials.

During this period, concluding November 29, those forces will install antennas and all the necessary data transmission equipment.

After that, from November 30 to December 5, the army will guard all voting centers, support the transportation of voting machines and their subsequent withdrawal to the Electoral National Council (CNE).

For the third stage, scheduled until mid-December, the electoral material will be sent to set deposits, although there is the possibility of extending that period if needed.

Experts see the implementation of the Republic Plan a necessary option to ensure security and clarity of the presidential vote.

Such project is due to the warning issued by political groups, authorities and the media over the existence of anti-government subversive plans.

For example, Oscar Figuera, general secretary of Venezuela´s Communist Party, urged the government to take the necessary measures in the face of an ostensible destabilizing plan encouraged by the US government and opposition sectors.

He added that such a program includes paramilitary actions in various regions to stop President Hugo Chavez´s popularity.

Opinion polls show the statesman favorite with a more than 35-point lead over his closest rival, opposition Manuel Rosales, who continues touring the nation and will shortly hold a press conference to announce his government proposal.

However, despite opposition forces are working at top speed to slash nationwide gap between Rosales and Chavez in the less than two months ahead the presidential vote, analysts consider that such a task will be very difficult.