Venezuela closed its land borders with Colombia and Brazil on April 9, AFP reports , citing an official statement by local authorities. Such measures were taken in connection with the approaching day of the presidential elections, which will be held in the country on April 14.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs said that until the morning of Monday, April 15, strict controls have been introduced on all movements on the borders with Brazil and Colombia. The ministry explained such measures by information received from intelligence about “elements who hope to use the country’s border to destabilize.”

In addition, security measures have been strengthened at power plants, telephone lines and fiber optic networks to prevent possible sabotage.

The upcoming sabotage was previously announced by the ruling party candidate Nicolas Maduro, acting president of the country after the death of President Hugo Chavez on March 5. In this regard, 17 people were arrested.

In addition, on April 7, Maduro announced an impending attempt on his life. “Their goal is to kill me, because otherwise they will not be able to win fair and honest elections,” the presidential candidate said on state television. Among the organizers, he named officials of the US presidential administration, as well as “extreme right-wing forces” from El Salvador.

Venezuela has closed its border before elections, but not for such a long period. Thus, in preparation for the elections in October 2012, the borders were closed only on the eve of voting day. It is also standard practice to ban drinking alcohol and carrying weapons.

Venezuela closed borders ahead of elections