Border with Colombia will remain open during elections

• The Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) will only maintain strict control during the presidential elections | Photo: EFE

Jesús Martínez, head of the Comprehensive Defense Operational Zone (ZODI) in Táchira, reported that the bridges located on the border between Colombia and Venezuela will remain open during the presidential elections on July 28. However, he indicated that they will maintain “strict control.”

“What does strict control mean? If previously two or three vehicles passed through and the passage was expedited, now those vehicles will be checked,” he said in statements to VPITV on Thursday, July 25.

Martinez said they will continue their daily work activities, including stamping passports of border crossers.

The measure includes the four bridges that connect Táchira (Venezuela) with Norte de Santander (Colombia): the Simón Bolívar International Bridge, the Atanasio Girardot Bridge, the Francisco de Paula Santander Bridge and the Unión Bridge.

The border between Venezuela and Colombia will remain open during the #PresidencialesVE2024reported this #25Jul the head of the Comprehensive Defense Operational Zone (Zodi) in #TáchiraJesus Martinez.

He added that the four bridges will operate normally and that there will even be… pic.twitter.com/NSdSpdcpW6

— VPItv (@VPITV) July 25, 2024

Schedules of international bridges between Colombia and Venezuela

In May 2024, the governor of Táchira state, Freddy Bernal, announced the schedules governing the bridges that connect Colombia with Venezuela.

“The political will of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was to open the bridges 24 hours a day. However, after listening to the proposals of the Colombian authorities, the proposed hours were agreed upon,” Bernal said.

Los schedules for crossing the bridges agreed upon by the Colombian and Venezuelan authorities are the following:

-Atanasio Girardot, also known as Tienditas: 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.

-Simón Bolívar International Bridge: 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

-Francisco de Paula Santander: 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

-Union Bridge: 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

EFE/Mario Caicedo

Air operations will also operate normally.

The land border between Colombia and Venezuela is not the only one that will remain operational on Sunday, July 28. The Association of Airlines in Venezuela (ALAV) confirmed that flights will operate normally.

Marisela de Loaiza, president of ALAV, said in an interview with Unión Radio that they had a meeting with the authorities in which they clarified this point.

Photo: IAIM

“There is a document sent by the Ministry of Defense that says there will be strict border control from midnight on Saturday, July 27, but that is only enforced by air operations, so nothing changes,” he said.

The ALAV representative confirmed that the schedule will continue as planned and revealed that flights, both entering and leaving the country, are fully booked.

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