From our Cubanization of Venezuela Bureau with some assistance from our very busy Latrine American Triangle of Doom Bureau
Castro, Inc.’s colony of Venenozuela has been hit by a blackout that left Caracas and a huge percentage of the country without power this morning. Naturally, Viceroy Maduro is attributing this disaster to his political opponents. While on the surface it may seem as if Castrogonia’s blackout crisis is much like a virus –due to socialist inefficiencies — this could be something more sinister. Chances are this disaster was caused by Maduro and his superiors at Castro, Inc. so they could have a great excuse for imprisoning more opponents.
Consequently, it is highly likely that “saboteurs” will be rounded up quickly and that Maduro will claim that those arrested have admitted that they were acting on orders from the evil empire of the U.S. Classic Castro playbook maneuver.
From Granma Euro-Lite (Reuters)
Venezuela’s capital Caracas and much of the rest of the country were without power early on Friday, the government said, blaming the blackout on sabotage by the opposition without providing any evidence.
President Nicolas Maduro, who is locked in a dispute with the opposition over the outcome of a July 28 presidential election, often blames “attacks” on the power grid on his political rivals, accusations the opposition has always denied.
Power will begin returning soon, beginning with the capital, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello told state television just before 10 a.m. local time (14:00 GMT), reiterating government claims of an attack.
“It will begin arriving little by little nationally, with security protocols,” Cabello said.
All 24 of the country’s states reported a total or partial loss of electricity supply, Freddy Nanez, the minister of communication and information, said on state television.
“We have been victims once again of electrical sabotage,” he said. He gave no evidence of a deliberate attack.
Nanez also blamed a series of smaller blackouts which affected some states on Tuesday on sabotage.
An opposition spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In Caracas, workers gathered outside office buildings in the central Plaza Venezuela.
“We don’t know how long this will last,” said office cleaner Bartolo Polanco, who arrived by bus from his home in the satellite city of Guarenas and was waiting outside with colleagues.
“We’re waiting for our boss’ instruction to go home if we can’t work,” he said.
Bakery worker Alejandro Rondon, 25, said the card payment machine was still working and he was selling what he could.
“We can’t make anything today because the ovens aren’t working. My fear is for the yeast, which needs to be cold,” he said.
Services on the city’s metro were halted and had been replaced by more than 250 buses, Transport Minister Ramon Velasquez said.
The blackout also hit some of state oil company PDVSA’s operations, including its smallest refinery, the 146,000-barrel-per-day El Palito, and the firm’s Caracas headquarters, sources close to operations said.
PDVSA’s largest refining complex Paraguana was unaffected.
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