Communards participate Saturday, Nov. 1, in an assembly to choose projects for the Popular Consultation scheduled for Nov. 23 in Venezuela. Photo: Telegram/@NicolasMaduroMoros.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—President Nicolás Maduro congratulated the Venezuelan people Sunday for the high participation and passion demonstrated in this weekend’s 2,500 communal assemblies held across the country.
“In every community, [the people] continue demolishing the old bureaucratic and bourgeois monsters, just as Gramsci warned: defeat those who resist change; we will defeat them! Let us continue with this strong popular-military-police fusion!” he added.
Facing unprecedented US military invasion threats, President Maduro reaffirmed the people’s will, which he said began 27 years ago with Commander Hugo Chávez and his socialist project. On social media, he wrote: “We are moving towards a new system of Direct and Neighborhood Democracy!” and called on the population to participate actively: “Let’s get back to the front lines, heading towards the elections on November 23!”
Residents participating in the assemblies highlighted their preparedness to choose projects to improve their well-being in each location. Communards from across the country said participatory and proactive democracy is a reality in every street and community today more than ever.
“We have been developing the process of selecting the projects that will be included in the upcoming National Popular Consultation … Now we can decide which projects will be implemented in our communities. This is something never before seen in the Fourth Republic; it is something only seen in Revolution,” said a communard from Barlovento, Miranda state, on Saturday.
The call for the Assemblies of People’s Power and Communal Power was issued Friday at the closing of the Meeting of Parliamentarians of the Greater Caribbean for Peace. The foreign delegates were invited to witness the democratic process, reaffirming Venezuela’s commitment to direct and popular democracy.
These assemblies, which bring together the 5,336 communes and communal circuits across the country, aim to let organized communities present and prioritize projects. Those projects will be put to a vote in the national consultation scheduled for Nov. 23.
Festive atmosphere and imperialist defiance
Venezuela’s Communes Minister Ángel Prado said Saturday night that a festive atmosphere of popular elections exists throughout the country “to continue deepening and defending our democracy.”
“We stand by our slogan ‘People to the streets,’ which is nothing more than taking action, organizing, managing resources, carrying out projects, and why not, also enjoying the peace the country is experiencing,” Prado said. “In the countryside and neighborhoods of Venezuela, there is a great spirit of patriotism. On the one hand, we are preparing for comprehensive defense alongside the Bolivarian National Militia, the Militia Units, and the Peace Quadrants, ensuring that no one comes to disturb the tranquility of the communities. On the other hand, we are working on organizing to execute new projects.”
He invited the world to visit Venezuela and witness this unique process firsthand, to see a people at peace who will not be intimidated by US imperialism “that wants to steal our resources.”
“We know the enemy is nearby … we see how they invest millions and millions of dollars in deploying a whole military flotilla to intimidate our people and unleash psychological warfare, but that doesn’t intimidate us at all, it doesn’t demoralize us; on the contrary, what we want is to continue working and beautifying our communities. This is the response the Venezuelan people are giving to the US empire,” he added in an interview with Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
Civic-military unity
Deputy Minister for Communes Albanys Montilla explained during a special VTV interview that night sessions of community assemblies had begun in Caracas, starting at 5:00 p.m. She noted this process is part of the fourth Popular Consultation, aimed at defining and implementing projects promoted by each territory to consolidate collective work and popular planning.
On the participation of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) in the assemblies, Vice Minister Montilla said that “the civic-military union has been consolidated in our country; the FANB and its four components have turned out as citizens to participate and territorialize public policies to have better living conditions.”
She explained that they are strengthening coordination with all FANB components to actively integrate them into local communities and increase their participation in the organizational process of the Communal Power.
“At some point we felt that the responsibility for the communes was only the responsibility of the communards, but in reality, the commune is how we, from the various living forces that make life in the territory, organize ourselves to implement and shape the policy,” she added.
Montilla also noted that, with the FANB’s experience and knowledge, a territorial action plan is being developed to address any national security scenario and successfully confront any foreign threat.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SA
