Above: People cast their votes. See more of Karla Reyes’ photos from her trip here.
On Sunday, June 28, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) held its internal primaries to select from a pool of nominees the candidates that would run in the December National Assembly elections on the PSUV ticket. I observed the elections as an international representative of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
This election was special for a number of reasons. In an effort to attain high levels of participation, the PSUV allowed party militants and non-militants to vote in the primaries. This year, there were a high number of women and young candidates due to the quotas established by the National Youth Congress and the Venezuelan Women’s Congress. The quotas ensure that women are selected as candidates as well as young people between the ages of 21 and 30. The PSUV recognizes women as the main combatants and also view the youth as continuing the revolutionary work in Venezuela.
In preparing for the elections, the PSUV invited about 20 observers from Latin America, the United States and Spain to observe the elections in communities all over Caracas as well as to share the importance of the democratic process in an international context.
23 de Enero
I had the opportunity to observe the elections in the 23 de Enero parish, the community where Comandante Hugo Chavez voted. Known for its organization and autonomy, the 23 de Enero parish mobilized to bring Chavez back to power after the 2002 coup attempt. Interestingly, the parish is named after the 1958 revolt that overthrew Venezuelan dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez. This is the community where Chavez resided and organized the 1992 civic-military uprising. In commemorating the history of struggle and organization of the parish, this is where the remains of Hugo Chavez rest.
Gregoria, an elder in the community, spoke of 23 de Enero’s revolutionary history. She explained that 23 de Enero was revolutionary since its founding. She proudly pointed to the fact that the people in the parish are known as Chavez’s guardians and the community as the door to the world. After mobilizing to oust the dictator Perez Jimenez in 1958, 23 de Enero was labeled as revolutionary and thus marginalized. This forced the community to become autonomous and establish its own rules and protect the parish with its own guards.
In terms of the electoral process, there are four main stations to complete a vote. At the first station, the voter has their fingerprint taken with a machine and registers with their identification. They then proceed to vote electronically behind a cardboard stand. Afterwards, voters receive a printed receipt of their vote that they put in another box in case there’s a need for a recount. Finally, the voters have their pinky marked with semi-permanent purple ink to ensure they do not vote again. The high level of transparency in the electoral process is a compromise to the revolution and people’s role maintaining it.
While observing the electoral process, I had the opportunity to speak to Ruben Guerra, a youth of the PSUV. He stated that he knows that what Venezuela has is “because of what Chavez did…others may take it for granted, but we [Venezuela] have what other countries don’t.” He reflected that “Chavez me dio un techo, me dio un hogar” (Chavez gave me a roof, he gave me a home).
Additionally, I had the opportunity to meet the Executive Vice President of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza.
At midnight the night of the election, we waited for Diosdado Cabello, the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly and Vice-President of the PSUV, and Cilia Flores, the former president of the National Assembly and current first lady, to present the electoral results. Over 3 million Venezuelans participated in the PSUV’s internal parliamentary primaries.
Cabello reported that the polls opened at 8am and were supposed to close at 6pm, however they remained open until 10pm because people continued arriving to vote and they did not plan on “closing the doors on the people’s right to vote.”
Cabello continued, stating that the high voter turnout reflected the level of organization, unity, and consciousness of the Venezuelan people. Additionally, opening up the elections to everyone demonstrates the militancy of the entire population, not only PSUV members. The people mobilized to defend the revolution in this arena because they knew that if the general assembly moves to the right with the opposition, revolutionary gains would be lost.
‘No nos vamos a doblar’
It is also important to further contextualize these elections in the current international climate. This past February, right-wing capitalists seeking to create a counterrevolution hoarded goods in a warehouse in order to increase the price and demand of the goods. In March of this year, Obama declared Venezuela to be a national threat to the United States and imposed further sanctions on the Bolivarian republic. Additionally, there was a coup attempt against President Nicolas Maduro; it was discovered that U.S. officials were in talks with the Venezuelan coup plotters.
Facing hostility abroad from the U.S. propaganda machine and economic destabilization tactics led by the right-wing capitalists, the PSUV relies on the consciousness, determination and organization of the Venezuelan people to defend the gains of the revolution. The economic war, as people refer to it on the streets, has affected the home life of the working people in Venezuela. The ultimate goal of the counterrevolution is to create such discontent that support for overthrowing the socialist government would be inevitable.
Local leaders, such as Robert Serra have been murdered in the past year in order to further demoralize the people. Dr. Carolus Wimmer of the Communist Party of Venezuela, a member of the PSUV-led Patriotic Pole alliance, spoke of the importance of unity among revolutionary parties. He explained that it is not a time to become divisive but unite in order to defend the revolutionary gains and thwart counterrevolutionary attacks both internally and from the U.S.
Josefina, an elder in the 23 de Enero parish and proud Chavista, spoke eloquently of the economic war and the duty of the Venezuelan people. She explained that the economic war being waged against Venezuela, which has become a war on food, medicine, and other necessary goods, is trying to break the spirit of the people, “Pero no nos vamos a doblar.” This powerful phrase means, “But we will not fold.” Overall, the public sentiment of fighting back to defend revolutionary gains permeates the airwaves. The consciousness of people is extraordinary as they recognize the class war being waged against them and that it is their duty to defend their revolution.
‘El Presente es de lucha, el future nos pertenece’
Visible on buildings throughout Caracas, the above quote highlights the duty of conscious and progressive people. The present is a time of struggle and the future is ours. Demanding that our people have the basic rights of healthcare, housing, education, employment, and the list goes on, is something that those who control the means of production will not give up easily and will take back at every opportunity possible.
Gaining rights through reforms are important but revolutionary gains cannot be contained to legislative changes. We must continue to fight to maintain the reforms for our own survival but also see the end goal of overthrowing capitalism and replacing the rule of the rich with the rule of the working class.
In the U.S. it is our duty to stand in solidarity with the people of Venezuela who adamantly defend the Bolivarian Revolution. We have more in common with our sisters and brothers in Venezuela than we do with the bosses and banks on Wall Street. Our most important solidarity action is creating a revolutionary movement against the common enemy of working people—a system based on profits.
