Commune members explain proposed projects at a communal council meeting, Bolívar state, Venezuela. Photo: X/@ComunasVE_
Venezuela will hold its third National Popular Consultation and the first one of 2025 on February 2, in which 5,334 communal projects will be selected for government funding, out of 36,685 proposals.
The National Popular Consultations are electoral processes on a communal scale, which begin with the nomination of community projects designed to solve problems and needs present in the localities of the country designated under a Communal Circuit or Commune.
Among the proposed projects are 6,481 related with water supply, 5,136 with housing improvement, 4,681 road projects, 4,160 electricity projects, 3,945 education projects, 3,127 health projects, and 2,129 sports projects.
In this consultation, 5,334 organized communal territories will participate, including 49,000 Communal Councils. Each territory will choose one project out of seven proposed options, while the rest of the proposals will become the Concrete Action Agenda of the communes, which will be resolved and executed with the resources allocated by the government.
Concrete Action Agenda
The Concrete Action Agenda orders the Map of Solutions in a prioritized plan with objectives, timelines, people in charge, goals, and resources. It is the plan of struggle for the change of goal in the short and medium term, generating political and organizational balance, sense of belonging, and new forms of revolutionary and popular government.
The analysis of the Maps of Solutions and the Concrete Agendas of Community Action aggregate in the territorial scales the work that should govern the action of the popular and revolutionary government. Moreover, it allows to build at national level the new programmatic agenda of government, identifying and systematizing the sectorial elements such as water, education, and health, as well as the social sectors, women, youth, afro-descendant and indigenous peoples, etc.
Venezuela: 2nd National Consultation to Yield Improvements in Services Provided by the State
How and where to vote
Venezuelans will be able to participate in the Popular Consultation in a total of 5,245 fully equipped polling centers.
The Ministry of Communes made available to voters a link where they can find out the voting centers and information about the postulated projects.
The National Electoral Council and the Republic Plan guarantee the installation of all the polling stations by 7:00 am on Sunday, so that the voting can begin at 8:00 am and will last until 6:00 pm.
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Steps to vote
- Voter presents their identity card.
- Voter selects the preferred option on the ballot paper.
- Voter places the ballot in the ballot box.
- Voter signs in the voting notebook.
- Voter takes back ID card.
According to Minister of Communes Ángel Prado, the conclusion of the community works “will generate motivation and empowerment of the people, as well as a community culture of working in this way.”
National communal budget
In October last year, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced that 70% of the national budget will be allocated for community development programs so that the Communal Councils and Communes will be the ones to implement the nation’s budget as part of the 7 Transformations (7T) Plan.
In this regard, in December 2024 the National Assembly approved the National Budget 2025 with the incorporation of a special portfolio to finance the projects of the People’s Power.
The Venezuelan president also approved the creation of the Communal Portfolio Fund, with an initial investment worth $600 million for community projects. He added that the Federal Council of Government has an additional $200 million available to strengthen local initiatives.
Successful consultations
In 2024, two national popular consultations were held in which projects designed in the municipalities were prioritized for financing.
The first consultation was held on April 21, 2024, in which 4,500 projects were approved, while the second was held on August 25, 2024, in which 4,505 projects were selected by the people.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
