Venezuelans Vote in Third ‘National Popular Consultation’ to Select State-Funded Projects

Caracas, February 4, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan people headed to the polls on Sunday for the third “National Popular Consultation” to decide on self-managed community projects that will receive government funding.

This is the first of six popular consultations scheduled for this year and the third since the initiative was launched by the Nicolás Maduro government in 2024. The grassroots electoral process seeks to tackle the most pressing issues within communities. Residents first meet in popular assemblies to propose up to seven projects and then they vote for their preferred initiative on election day.

Sunday’s vote was held in 5,334 communal circuits spanning 1,101 parishes across the Venezuelan territory to choose one winning proposal per circuit. Each circuit is centered on a commune, an assembly-driven popular power organization that brings together several communal councils, social property enterprises and movements.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) oversaw the election at 5,245 voting centers, which were open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., although voting hours were extended due to long lines. The number of polling stations was reduced from the more than 15,000 available in the first consultation to focus on more central and strategic locations. All citizens aged 15 and older were eligible to participate.

Voters selected from over 36,600 projects proposed in local assemblies. The winning projects will each receive an estimated budget of USD 10,000 from the Maduro government and grassroots collectives will be responsible for their execution.

The Vice Presidency of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) for Popular Councils and Communes reported that among the pool of proposals, there were 6,481 focused on water and sewage systems, 5,136 related to housing, 4,681 focused on road infrastructure, 4,160 on electricity, 3,945 on the education sector and 3,123 aimed at improving health services. 

In El Panal Commune in western Caracas, voters chose between six projects centered on the community’s most pressing needs, ranging from repairing the public library to fixing and providing equipment to sports courts to establishing a socio-productive cleaning brigade.

Orly Ortiz, spokesperson for El Panal and member of the Alexis Vive Patriotic Force, expressed her satisfaction with the high turnout in her community, praising the vote as a tribute to former President Hugo Chávez’s legacy of popular power and self-governance.

“Celebrating the 26th anniversary of our Commander Chávez’s ascension to power [February 2, 1999] means honoring his living legacy through unity in voting and strengthening our commune,” Ortiz emphasized.

On Monday, Commune Minister Ángel Prado celebrated the “impressive turnout” and the “tremendous effort” made by people in rural communities and popular neighborhoods to participate in the nationwide vote. 

A seasoned grassroots organizer and founder of Venezuela’s renowned El Maizal Commune (on the border of Lara and Portuguesa states), Prado highlighted the communes’ efficiency in managing resources and ensuring accountability. “Resource management is deeply ingrained in our culture through popular organization,” he asserted.

Furthermore, Prado added that a batch of projects finishing in second and third place would also receive state funding. In some instances, this financial support will come from local governors and mayors committed to promoting these grassroots initiatives.

For his part, President Nicolás Maduro commended Sunday’s successful vote and urged the people to establish at least 6,000 communes within the next two years. Currently, there are approximately 3,000 communes in Venezuela, varying in their level of consolidation, as well as around 5,334 communal circuits. These self-governed spaces are part of the country’s efforts to advance toward a socialist future.

“It is essential to create people’s self-governance agencies to facilitate direct communication with the communal government of the 5,334 communal circuits,” Maduro stated during his televised podcast on Monday. The president also informed that 60 percent of the projects approved on Sunday had already been awarded.

The two previous “National Popular Consultations” took place on April 21 and August 25. In both instances, the majority of approved initiatives focused on five key areas: water, electrical supply, road infrastructure, healthcare, and environmental concerns.

Edited by Cira Pascual Marquina from Caracas.