Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets of Caracas on May 9 to rally in support of the country’s commune movement.
Socialist revolutionaries from across the country joined the march, calling on the government of President Nicolas Maduro to endorse a proposal to provide constitutional recognition of communes.
Venezuela currently has about 1500 communes and 45,000 communal councils, with members numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Supporters say these communes are organised through direct democracy, with the backing of the Maduro administration.
Currently, the commune movement has broad legal recognition, but is not included in the country’s constitution. However, commune supporters are optimistic that could soon change, with Maduro recently calling for constitutional reform.
“The commune is the essence of the people,” said Frank Corrales from the Guerrero JiraJara Socialist Commune.
Speaking to Venezuelanalysis during the rally, Corrales said, “We know what we really need [and] … it is in us to truly prepare, from the grassroots, the transformation of this state into a truly communal state.”
“We have to keep transforming the state, into a socialist state, where the largest possible amount of happiness is brought to all of the people. The commune or nothing!” he said.
[Reprinted from Venezuelanalysis.]
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