Venezuela Prepares for Election to Select Local ‘Peace Judges’
Caracas, December 12, 2024 (venezuelanalysis.com) — On December 15, the Venezuelan people will head to the polls for local elections to select 30,000 “communal peace judges” as part of the country’s efforts to establish a new grassroots democracy.
Sunday’s vote will take place in over 4,000 communal circuits spanning the Venezuelan map, including 481 indigenous communities. Each circuit is centered around a commune—an assembly-driven organization comprising several communal councils and various social organizations. Voters will select 15,000 peace judges, two or three per circuit, and their substitutes, from a pool of 52,288 candidates.
All citizens 15 and above are eligible to participate. Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) will install 4,817 polling centers that will be operated by electoral commissions consisting of community members.
On Wednesday, in a televised gathering in El Panal Commune in Caracas’ working-class 23 de Enero neighborhood, President Nicolás Maduro urged people to participate in Sunday’s local election to advance popular power and “work on the new model of direct democracy.”
“What we are undertaking is a significant step toward the future—a genuine democracy that goes beyond superficial representation. We are striving for a grassroots, direct democracy rooted in values and conscience,” he stated during a community assembly with peace judge candidates.
During the meeting, Maduro was joined by several high-profile officials and activists, including Ángel Prado, the Minister of Communes; Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the National Assembly; Carmen Meléndez, the Mayor of Caracas; and Robert Longa, spokesperson for El Panal Commune.
Longa, who is also the founder of the Alexis Vive Patriotic Force, lauded the local election of peace judges as a significant step forward in moving away from “all the frameworks of bourgeois liberal democracy.”
“We are in a process of radicalization of participatory and protagonist democracy,” Longa told Maduro. “This call that you are making to radicalize the [Bolivarian] revolution has a historical precedent: the Soviets [workers and peasants councils] that would pave the way for the Soviet Revolution, transforming people into social subjects of change.”
The communal leader explained that the elected 30,000 peace judges will assume a “leading role” in their communities and will undertake preventive work to promote peaceful coexistence. “We are moving towards the construction of new social relations without the old laws.”
Deputy and Organization Vice President of the ruling Socialist Party (PSUV), Pedro Infante, stated that the winning candidates will undergo six months of training organized by judicial authorities and the Ministry of Communes.
The competencies of peace judges will be governed by the newly reformed “Organic Law of Communal Peace Justice,” which was approved by the legislature and enacted by Maduro in November. This bill broadens the scope of issues peace judges can address and designates them as responsible for resolving family and community conflicts, thereby offering resolution pathways without escalating to formal judicial proceedings.
For instance, peace judges will mediate disputes between neighbors and have the authority to address matters such as tenancy issues, land and debt conflicts, interpretation of local ordinances, child support, children’s rights, and the coexistence of domestic animals. However, the elected mediators cannot handle property disputes if the assets are worth more than 1,000 euros.
The new reforms of the law originally approved in 2010 also stipulate that peace judges will be elected through local popular vote every four years. While communities had a significant role in choosing peace judges through consensus or vote, there was limited formal oversight from national authorities, leading to discrepancies in how peace judges were selected and operated across different regions.
From December 4 to 13, candidates engaged in active door-to-door campaigning and community assemblies, where they shared their proposals for conflict resolution and local governance. Each candidate underwent a screening process to ensure they met essential criteria, including being over 25 years old, residing in the communities they aimed to represent for a minimum of three years, positive reputation and understanding of local customs and laws. Peace judges are likewise barred from belonging to political organizations.
This grassroots approach aims to ensure that the elected peace judges are well-acquainted with the specific needs and dynamics of their communities.
The introduction of peace judges elected by popular vote follows two national popular consultations whereby communities picked local projects that received US $10,000 of state funding. A third consultation set for November was suspended, with Ministry of Communes sources telling Venezuelanalysis it will be re-scheduled for early 2025.
Edited by Ricardo Vaz.