Venezuela Advances Grassroots Democracy with 10,000 New Communal Projects

Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuela celebrated its fourth National Popular Consultation of the year on Sunday, an unprecedented democratic exercise that strengthens participatory democracy from the grassroots level.

The process mobilized 5,336 communal circuits for citizens to choose from 36,674 local development projects. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino commented on the election, calling it a “great democratic and popular festival.” He emphasized that, despite economic difficulties and constant external threats, Venezuela continues to consolidate a model of People’s Power, even with 15,000 US soldiers off its coasts.

President Nicolás Maduro extended an invitation to “all neighbors, all communities” to actively participate. He described the vote as a “genuine democratic exercise” that will determine the foundations of the people’s government, expressing confidence it would be another victory for Venezuela’s socialist and democratic model.

Logistics and international observation
According to Minister for Communes Ángel Prado, the election was a massive undertaking. A total of 9,963 polling stations were set up in 8,630 voting centers nationwide, overseen by 19,926 electoral commissions made up of community volunteers. The process was witnessed by 79 international observers, reported Telesur.

“These people will inform their countries, their people, about what they are seeing today in the 9,963 polling stations, in the 8,630 electoral centers enabled to carry out this popular consultation,” Minister Prado said on Venezolana de Televisión.

Days earlier, the National Electoral Council (CNE) activated the website http://ssgestion.cne.gob.ve/ where people could check their voting location and review the community projects available for selection in their areas.

High turnout and grassroots focus
The voting process began at 8:00 a.m. and was scheduled to end at 6:00 p.m. However, the CNE announced on social media that due to high voter turnout, closing time was extended by one hour to 7:00 p.m. The council noted that “it is guaranteed that all polling stations where voters remain in queue after that time will remain open until the last person exercises their right.”

The scale of the initiative reflects popular commitment. Of the 36,674 proposals shortlisted in grassroots assemblies, citizens chose 10,662 projects that will receive direct state funding. These will be added to more than 23,000 projects approved and successfully implemented in the last year and a half, demonstrating the effectiveness of the model of communal power.

Prado explained that 50% of the initiatives (18,337) focus on improving public services, showing where the interest of the Venezuelan population aims. The remaining projects voted on cover fundamental sectors such as healthcare, culture, educational infrastructure, sports, recreation and the promotion of the communal economy, aligned with the Chavista project.

President Maduro Highlights Record Turnouts for 2nd Popular Consultation

He recalled that President Nicolás Maduro said if these 30,000 projects had been assigned to state and municipal governments, “perhaps there wouldn’t have been enough time and the bureaucracy would have overwhelmed us.” In contrast, the projects completed within the framework of the three previous Popular Consultations were carried out directly with the people. “With grassroots organization, with the people who love their neighborhoods, who want to solve problems … The people did it with love, they did it well, the resources have been very well optimized, and they have had a great impact.”

This participatory mechanism, which allows citizens to directly choose which projects are implemented in their communities, strengthens the connection between different levels of government and grassroots organizations. The projects chosen will be accompanied by a network of Bolivarian Committees of Integral Bases, sealing the commitment to the collective construction of the country’s future.

Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff

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