Exclusive - In run-up to Venezuelan vote, more soldiers dissent and desert

Soldiers standing in formation before the start of a ceremony to kick off the distribution of security forcers and voting materials to be used in the upcoming presidential elections, at Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas, Venezuela May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

CARACAS/SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezuela (Reuters) - Arrests for rebellion and desertion are rising sharply in Venezuela's armed forces, a mainstay of President Nicolas Maduro's Socialist government, amid discontent within the ranks at food shortages and dwindling salaries, according to documents and interviews with army personnel.

Internal military documents reviewed by Reuters showed that the number of soldiers detained for treason, rebellion and desertion rose to 172 in the first four months of the year, up three-and-a-half times on the same period of 2017.