After Venezuelan Elections, Maduro Calls for ‘Debate, Consultation, Action’

Maduro has spoken on public television and called for strategies to unite and strengthen the Bolivarian movement.

banderas_rojas

After yesterday’s parliamentary electoral loss, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a meeting of Bolivarian governors and ministers, and speaking on public television Monday night, called for a range of consultation methods in order to “strengthen” the Bolivarian movement.

Maduro argued that discussion and reflection were necessary, to then come up with a plan of action among the social movements, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), and other pro-revolution parties and organizations.

The president said that after an all-day meeting, reflecting on the results that saw the MUD opposition coalition gain a significant majority in parliament, his cabinet had made a number of decisions and come up with a timeline of action.

“We got 43 percent of the votes … the counterrevolution triumphed yesterday, for now,” he said, using former President Hugo Chavez’s famous phrase to mean that a loss is just short-term.

“They have come for the neoliberal restoration of the far right,” he said, arguing that a defense of the revolution’s gains was necessary.

He called for debate and a rebuliding of strength of the revolution, because, “the Venezuelan right wing has just one program: to destroy the Bolivarian revolution.” 

Maduro announced a week of discussion in order to come up with a united strategy of the revolution. “Unity should be the main aim,” he said, adding, “Nobody should be confused by an adverse situation.”

For Tuesday, the president called for a special meeting of all the organizations and parties that make up the GPP—the umbrella group of those who support the revolution.

For Saturday, he called a meeting of the presidential councils of popular power: those councils that were elected by the bases to represent indigenous people, workers, youth, women, and other social sectors. 

Then finally for next Wednesday he called a meeting of all PSUV delegates, in Caracas, “in the morning, until necessary.” Nine hundred delgates will evaluate the situation, make plans, and create proposals, he said.

Maduro argued that it was important to come up with a “central document for the Bolivarian revolution” and to also create a separate commission for the National Assembly, which would work on defending the workers’ rights law, the social movements, and other legislative gains.

 “This oligarchy will never represent you,” Maduro told Venezuelans in his address Monday, referring to the new elected opposition legislators, who will swear-in in January.