On 8 March 2026, thousands of people across 5,336 communal circuits in Venezuela participated in the first National Popular Consultation of 2026. The National Popular Consultation process was first initiated by President Nicolas Maduro in April 2023 to strengthen participatory democracy and build popular power within the communal circuits of Venezuela, advancing the aims of the Bolivarian Revolution. The consultations are a mechanism where the people can directly and collectively determine the needs of their communities and decide which local projects will receive national funding. Seven projects are put on the ballot in each communal circuit, and the top two projects with the most votes receive funding of $10,000 each. It is up to the people how to carry out the projects according to their particular needs and priorities.
In the commune El Despertar de Onoto, FRFI was present to observe the consultation and speak to the people living within the commune about the significance of this process. Among the seven projects on the ballot were the acquisition of textile machinery for the community, repairing of certain damaged pavements, provision of public lighting across the commune, and the building of a community mortuary. In conversation with the communal leaders and residents, the people emphasised the importance of protaganistic democracy within the commune. The projects are directly in the hands of the people, eliminating bureaucratic oversight and fostering collective consciousness.
The communes stand with Delcy Rodríguez
In the aftermath of the US’s bombing of Caracas and kidnap of President Nicolás Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores on 3 January 2026, this consultation carried unprecedented significance. The US attacks on Venezuela were an attempt to topple the Bolivarian process, which for decades has been a threat to the US’s imperialist interests in Latin America, both economically and ideologically. While the bombing has ceased, Maduro and Flores are being held hostage in New York while the country is being held at gunpoint through a complete military blockade and economic coercion. With their sovereignty hanging in the balance, the Venezuelan government, led by Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, has been forced to come to the negotiating table. Despite this pressure, Rodríguez has reaffirmed the conviction of the Bolivarian process and has reassured the people that she will see through the directive from Maduro that the process of building socialism through the communal movement would continue no matter what. From the streets of Caracas, it was clear that the communes and Chavistas have placed their confidence in Rodríguez. As communists in imperialist Britain, we look to these conscious, militant masses in the streets and in the communes to inform our position. This is in direct contrast to the barrage of conspiratorial accusations and reactionary attacks on Rodríguez and the PSUV from the so-called British ‘left’. But to us it is clear: the carrying out of National Popular Consultation despite US pressure is a concrete example of movement that remains steadfast in Venezuela, resisting imperialism and building popular power just as Chávez declared. ¡Comuna o nada!
