“There is a plan to seize Essequibo from us by force,” he said during the deployment of Operation Republic.

On Wednesday, Venezuelan Defense Minister Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez accused the U.S. Southern Command (SouthCom) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of engaging in interference aimed at stripping Venezuela of the Essequibo region.

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During a ceremony held at the Paseo de los Proceres in Caracas, which was attended by members of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) who will participate in the upcoming Republic Operation, Padrino Lopez referenced recent statements by the government of Guyana alleging that Venezuela used force against Guyanese military personnel along the de facto border.

The Bolivarian minister said those claims are false and are part of a maneuver orchestrated by SouthCom and the CIA to provoke Venezuela and portray it as an aggressor state.

“Let us not fall for provocations,” Padrino Lopez said emphatically, urging Venezuelans to remain vigilant in the face of tactics and manipulations aimed at distorting the truth.

He called on the Venezuelan people to remember the lessons of history and to vote conscientiously in order to strengthen the nation’s path toward peace and economic recovery.

Padrino Lopez also recalled the actions of the opposition-controlled National Assembly in 2015, when the Venezuelan far right undermined the integrity of the FANB, promoted international sanctions against the country, encouraged foreign military interventions, and supported the creation of a fictitious government.

“Such destabilizing actions led to a decline in the well-being of Venezuelan families,” the Defense Minister stressed and assured citizens that calm will prevail during Sunday’s elections.

“The FANB will ensure security during the elections. The people can go out and vote peacefully, despite provocations and threats from the far right,” he said, noting that the electoral security deployment has been in planning for months and is being successfully implemented.

“Our revolutionary democracy continues to improve, with a people who participate authentically and directly in forging their future,” Padrino Lopez said.

On Sunday, over 21 million Venezuelans are expected to head to the polls to elect 285 national legislators for the 2026–2031 term, 260 state lawmakers for regional councils, and 24 governors.

For the first time, the Bolivarian nation will also elect the governor of Guayana Esequiba, a newly created state that will send eight legislators to the National Assembly and elect seven state lawmakers.

On that day, the FANB will deploy 412,000 troops to ensure public safety and protect 15,748 voting centers and 27,736 voting tables.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: VTV – teleSUR

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