 Following the rise of Hugo Chávez and the establishment of his Bolivarian Revolution, the FBL began to support Chávez.Following the election of Hugo Chávez, the FBL grew 50% by 2005, amounting to about 4,000 members located in Alto Apure, Apure according to a Venezuelan government source speaking to "El Universal".The FBL also operated with the complicity of the local chavista government of Apure, with chavista mayor Jorge Rodríguez being the head of Alto Apure.