Caracas, October 20 (teleSUR-RHC)-- Venezuelan Electrical Energy Minister Luis Motta Dominguez told press on Monday that 13 attacks on Venezuela's electrical grid took place over the last week, in an attempt to destabilize the December 6th National Assembly elections.

"The electrical system in the 18 days of October has received 13 attacks, 13 acts of sabotage, which also destabilizes the system,” he said. “They are intended to disturb and disrupt the elections on December 6th."

Dominguez said that "in previous elections, there were power outages just two days before the elections, and they are repeating the pattern."

According to Motta Dominguez the sabotage began on October 13 at a power plant in Zulia state, located in the northwestern corner of the country, where they cut part of the wiring. The owner showed pictures explaining a failure in the Guyana A line. 

“The next attack was in Falcon (located in the northwest of the country), where a citizen was found manipulating a power transformer," Motta Dominguez said. He also reported three attempts to hack the official website of Corpoelec, the state corporation responsible for Venezuelan power.

The minister reported an explosion and fire in a power transformer in Tachira – located in the Andes mountains, to the southwest of the country – which has affected two electrical substations. It was determined that the damage was caused by two bullet holes, leaving the people of Tachira without 200 megawatts of energy. 

"Note that all the attacks are concentrated in Falcon, Zulia and Tachira, all border states,” he concluded. “It is no accident."