Venezuelan Community Consultations Create A New Form of Governance
The sign reads, “New People Communal Council.” Photo: Ministry of Communes.
August 20, 2024 Hour: 12:01 pm
As part of a revolutionary momentum, the people will propose community projects to improve their quality of life.
On Tuesday, Angel Prado, the Minister for Communes and Social Movements, confirmed that 3,600 assemblies have taken place ahead of the popular consultation scheduled for August 25.
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On that day, Venezuelans will participate in a process of direct democracy at the territorial level, through which communal councils will define development projects to be implemented with support from the national government.
“Each communal council is proposing three projects, and each communal circuit is nominating up to seven projects according to the priorities of the communities,” Prado said.
The Minister for Communes and Social Movements recalled that the organization of community power in Venezuela began with the approval of the Bolivarian Constitution in 1999, which established that the people can be administrators and planners of the nation’s resources.
Prado also stressed that the communes are spaces where all citizens who want to participate can participate, since there are no ideological, political or social restrictions on participation.
“These forms of direct democracy even have middle-income citizens who attend because they are interested in seeing public services constantly improve,” he said.
On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro emphasized that the Venezuelan people will participate on August 25 in an exercise of direct community democracy.
“The goal of these ongoing consultations is to build a new system of governance. To achieve this, we must advance in the political and organizational processes to develop the constitutional vision of a new, participatory, and protagonistic democracy,” he said.
“Venezuela is in a moment of revolutionary momentum, where the people, empowered in their territories, will nominate community projects that will allow them to improve their quality of life.”
“We are building the methods of work and functioning for the Communal Council… Born in the state of Miranda, this form of popular consultation set us on the right path to transform all mayors’ offices, governorships, ministries, and other governmental structures that must be put at the service of the people,” the Bolivarian leader emphasized.
Community popular consultations will be held four times a year to facilitate the swift implementation of the projects proposed by the communities. On April 21, Venezuelans over 15 years of age participated in the first popular consultation of 2024, in which 4,500 community projects related to drinking water, electricity, food, sports, and the economy were chosen.
The second consultation of the year will take place next Sunday. According to the latest available data, Venezuela has 49,178 communal councils distributed across 335 municipalities and 1,136 parishes.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: teleSUR – Minister for Communes and Social Movements – EFE
