Analysis of Parliamentary Elections held on December 6th 2015 in Venezuela

To understand the December 6 election results, we must contrast them to the 2013 presidential election: Nicolas Maduro won 7,587,579 votes; the opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, 7,363,980 votes. In this past election, the opposition won with 7,707,422 votes. Their votes only increased by 343,442 votes. In contrast, 1,988,554 supporters of the revolution abstained from voting for the Revolution. The results were not a vote for some alternative proposed by the opposition (which does not exist) but a direct reaction to the effects of the economic war provoked by the most powerful sectors of the opposition, smuggling of basic products to neighboring countries and the sabotage of the currency through the manipulation of the parallel dollar. While a serious defeat, it is important to remember that this is still just the 2nd defeat in the past 20 elections since the beginning of the revolutionary process. Chavistas still control a majority of the governorships, mayoralties and more. Furthermore, despite the economic hardships, over 5.6 million Chavistas voted for the Revolution.

Is important to highlight with this outcome the falsehood of opinion arrays shared by the internationals media, in which they say daily that President Maduro is a dictator and there is no democracy in Venezuela, also the strength and impartiality of the venezuelan electoral system, which had been attacked by the opposition every time they lost the elections process.

In reaction to the defeat, the Venezuelan government is taking various measures based on the National Constitution to protect the revolutionary process and the People. Among them is the Legislative People that will allow grassroots organizations to propose laws to the National Assembly. This would allow grassroots groups to propose laws protecting the achievements of the revolutionary process. Article 204 of the Venezuelan Constitution states that activating this tool requires a petition signed by 0.1% (or 20,000 people) of the electorate. In addition to protecting the victories of the revolutionary process, the Legislative People can serve as an effective vehicle to re-politicize mass bases.

Furthermore, on December 10, President Nicolas Maduro shared the conclusions of PSUV’s Third Socialist Congress, which was convened to protect the Bolivarian ideals and the nation’s sovereignty from the opposition. Among the Congress were 842 PSUV delegates from across the country, the national leadership, socialist representatives of the National Assembly. The conclusions were as follows:

1. Convening of Presidential Councils of Grassroots Power

Maduro announced Presidential Councils – where the public gathers to articulate their projects and policy proposals to the President – for December 12, to map out the strengths and weaknesses of the government. The purpose was to hear from the revolutionary bases, strategies and proposals on how to rescue the Bolivarian ideals and defend sovereignty.

2. Install the Economic Congress of Socialist Thought

President Nicolas Maduro called for the creation of an Economic Congress of Socialist Thought to tackle the crisis created by the economic war. He noted that despite a 68% reduction in oil revenues in 2015, the government has not reduced social investment in the coutnry. In addition, Maduro noted that “this year we have paid off 14 million dollars of the country’s foreign debt.” The international financial blockade made debt refinancing and progress in the country’s economic system and the fight against the economic war difficult.

3. Permanent Working Session for the Revolutionary Counteroffensive

The counteroffensive must go beyond the political and transcend into the human, “grassroots, spiritual, territorial, economic, and military.” President Maduro stated the need for a national revolutionary and comprehensive counteroffensive to the counterrevolutionary crisis.

4.Implementation of Government Efficiency in the Streets

President Maduro called support to begin a new model for implementing Government Efficiency in the Streets starting January and until 2019. The Government Efficiency in the Streets are street campaigns where communities directly interact with the government to resolve issues and collaborate on projects. In the new model for Government Efficiency in the Streets, Maduro explained that proposals from each state need to be concrete and establish new ways to fuel the economy and sectors such as public works.  

5. Improve revolutionary communication

President Maduro proposed that “we have to renew our discourse, form, content, and media.” He urged members of PSUV’s Commission on Agitation, Propaganda, and Communication to review their current strategies and discourse. He also proposed establishing communication channels in order to promote the social achievement in the Bolivarian Revolution.

6. Reignite Reform at All Levels

Maduro called for a process of Reconstruction of the majority based on repolarization, repoliticization, and reunification.

Presented by Sergio León, First Secretary Edited by Dae-Han Song, Chief Editor