Venezuela Gradually Recovers from Grid Sabotage Allegations

Venezuela’s electric supply is slowly being reestablished after a 12-hour blackout that plunged all 24 states of the nation into darkness early on Friday, President Nicolás Maduro announced on state television. The massive power outage was reportedly caused by an alleged attack on the transmission systems of the Guri hydroelectric plant in southeastern Venezuela, leading to investigations by authorities. Maduro stated that measures implemented after a previous attack in 2019 helped protect Guri, which remains the main source of electricity for the country.

By the time Maduro made his address, power had already been restored to all of the capital city, Caracas, as confirmed by Mayor Carmen Melendez. However, while some areas saw electricity return on Friday afternoon, a significant portion of the country was still without power. The metro system was non-operational, and long queues formed outside fuel stations as Venezuelans prepared for the potential impact of the blackout.

The blackout occurred amidst a prolonged power struggle in Venezuela, with opposition leader Edmundo González claiming a resounding victory over Maduro, who was declared reelected for a third term in July following a contentious vote. Earlier in the day, Maduro attributed the power failure to “desperate attacks from fascists” in a message on his Telegram channel. Information Minister Freddy Ñañez stated that the government had activated its “anti-coup protocols” to combat alleged sabotage from extreme right-wing elements.

Since a major blackout in 2019 that left Venezuela without power for nearly a week, the country has grappled with ongoing outages stemming from years of mismanagement and inadequate funding for its hydroelectric infrastructure. State-mandated power rationing has become commonplace, particularly in rural areas outside the capital.

Meanwhile, González was called in for questioning at the attorney general’s office for the third time on Friday regarding the release of voting records that suggested a landslide victory in the presidential election. However, it remains unclear whether his meeting with Attorney General Tarek William Saab was delayed due to the blackout.

–With assistance from Andreina Itriago Acosta.

(Updates include Maduro’s comments in the first paragraph and Melendez’s comments in the third paragraph)

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