Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino stated that this is an act of state due to “the depth of what it means” in terms of guaranteeing popular sovereignty.

He stressed that this marks the beginning of the grand final process of a period of months in which the FANB (National Armed Forces of Venezuela) supported the planning and logistics deployment, during which, in his opinion, “we have seen an unprecedented institutional empathy” between the armed command and the National Electoral Council (CNE).

The Vice President of Political Sovereignty, Security, and Peace highlighted the process of evolution, improvement, and authenticity of democracy in the Bolivarian Republic over the past 25 years, where the people themselves decide their own destiny, participate, and exercise control.

CNE Vice President Carlos Quintero, for his part, considered this event a milestone in the electoral calendar, which “has been worked on arduously.”

He emphasized that these are two elections in a single electoral process, in which 569 positions are up for grabs: 285 deputies to the National Assembly (parliament), 260 representatives to the Legislative Councils, and 24 governors.

Quintero emphasized that, without a doubt, “it is an event that marks and reinforces sovereignty” because the first governor of Guayana Esequiba, eight deputies to the Parliament, and seven to the Legislative Councils will be elected.

More than 21 million voters are eligible to vote in these elections, who will cast their ballots in 27,713 polling stations.

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