Speaking to 1,676 delegates and invited guests from over 20 countries, President Hugo Chávez opened the founding congress of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela on Jan. 14.
Chávez argued the PSUV would serve as the “the spearhead and vanguard” of the revolution—a conception similar to that articulated by Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin. He further emphasized the need to link up with grassroots organizations, develop internal cohesion and fight against the formation of a new bourgeoisie with counterrevolutionary inclinations.
The creation of the PSUV is the most important step of the Bolivarian Revolution in recent years. Despite being in its early stages, the new party will strive to provide a framework of centralized leadership and organization necessary to articulate goals of the revolutionary process and further its development.
