Maduro asks government members not to accept electronics as gifts after attacks in Lebanon | World and Science

Venezuelan President Nicolas MaduroAgence France-Presse

Posted on 09/21/2024 at 08:11

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro recommended, today, Friday (20), that members of the government and their supporters not accept electronic equipment as Christmas gifts, due to the explosions of pagers and wireless communication devices in Lebanon that left dozens dead.

“Do not receive electronic gifts… Be careful with phones, cell phones, pay attention to everyone,” the president said during an event in Caracas broadcast on national television.

Maduro, who announced the start of Christmas from October 1, also asked “in all ministries, institutes and state companies” to give priority to the purchase of “handicrafts and toys made in Venezuela” to exchange gifts for “Venezuelan Christmas.”

His request comes amid a political crisis sparked by his re-election for a third consecutive six-year term (2025-2031), which the opposition considers fraudulent, as it declared the victory of its candidate, former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia, who has been in exile in Spain since September 8.

Two waves of pager and walkie-talkie explosions between Tuesday and Wednesday killed 37 people and injured about 3,000 others, with the aim of attacking members of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group.