Communal Councils within Venezuela CONNIE ELDRIDGE DONNIE WELCH

Communal Councils within Venezuela CONNIE ELDRIDGE DONNIE WELCH JACK GROSSMAN ANDREW MACIAS

History of Communal Councils 1980 s, Venezuela began a process to decentralize some governmental powers Mayoral elections and the handing over new responsibilities to local governments. Chávez was elected president in 1998, and he continued to decentralize governmental power, he changed the emphasis of the process. He called for transferring power not to local government, but directly to popular movements. Bolivarian Circles were formed Were officially autonomous, but were closely linked the government which they were supportive of. At Chávez’s behest, the Bolivarian Circles were mostly succeeded by Electoral Battle Units (UBEs), which mobilized the pro-Chávez vote for elections.

History of Communal Councils Article 182 of the Constitution established the Law of Local Public Planification Councils (CLPP’s) Required that the 335 municipalities implement them by the 12 th of October, 2002. Gave citizens, politicians, and bureaucrats the ability to collaborate at the city level to address local problems. Councils were composed of a mayor, governor, members of the city council, as well as representatives of neighborhood organizations and general citizens 2005: most of the Local Public Planning Councils had become stifled by bureaucracy and dominated by politicians

History of Communal Councils In April 2006, the Venezuelan government passed the Law on Communal Councils The Communal Councils Law called for the councils to decide their own geographic limits, but also follow a detailed set of guidelines. The law aimed to expand participation in the democratic process by the masses

Structure Of Communal Councils Group of elected people from a self-defined residential neighborhood of about 150 -400 families in urban areas, or 20 families in rural areas, and potentially 10 in indigenous communities Principal decision making body is the citizens’ assembly

Structure Continued… Formal functioning is composed of following 5 units: Executive Body Financial Management Unit of Social Oversight (Anti-corruption) Community Coordination Collective All council members are elected by the citizens’ assembly for a period of 2 years.

Citizens’ Assembly All members within the defined community above the age of 15 can participate in citizens’ assemblies Power to elect and revoke community spokespeople to the communal council Assembly elections are done directly and in secret Other decisions are done by majority of raised hands Meetings are 2 -6 hour public events often held outdoors in the streets Attendance from the community varies from 50 -150 citizens Frequency of assemblies also vary from weekly to once a month

Executive Body Consists of: One elected spokesperson from each work committee or community organization One elected spokesperson from each of any defined microneighborhoods One elected spokesperson from any formed commissions (no formal hierarchy exists among spokespeople) Examples of work committees and community organizations within a communal council include (but are not limited to): Land committees – Health committees – Cultural groups – Sports clubs –Water boards – Energy boards –Transportation organizations – Environmental groups

Financial Management Unit Group of 5 community members elected by the Citizens’ Assembly Group is responsible for administrating financial and non-financial resource generated, allocated, or awarded to the council. Promote the creation of cooperatives for local development projects, and drive efforts towards the participatory budget and prioritizing of community necessities They support local economies, micro-financing, provide social assistance resources and present accounts when requested

Unit of Social Oversight Group of 5 community members elected by the Citizens’ Assembly Independent group who monitor and report on the application of council resources and activities towards the community development plan Also known as the Anti-corruption Unit

Community Coordination Collective Made up of the community organization Informs and trains community members Coordinates with the local community-based “militias, ” or army reserves.

Funding Communal Councils � Individual Councils apply separately for funds � The request is first sent to the local municipality for review � As of 2007 there were 19, 500 councils registered � It is then sent to the Presidential Commission of Popular Power, which will give projects the go-ahead as long as they are legally valid � The money is then delivered by the Gabinetes Moviles: considered by Chavez to be the most influential piece of the Bolivarian Revolution as they “sustain the modernization of the councils dedicated to the sustainable development of the nation. “ � This Commission is lead by a number of governmental ministers hand picked by Chavez

Funding Communal Councils � Funding for councils can come from national, state, or city governments � Funding also comes from councils own fundraising or from donations � The funds are managed by an elected Financial Management Unit � Financial Management Unit Group of five community leaders elected by the Citizens Assembly � Citizens Assembly: monitor and report on the application of council resources Responsible for financial and non-financial resources allocated They support local economies � Unit of Social Oversight: group of five community members elected by Citizens Assembly An independent group who report on the application of council resources geared toward a community development plan � Originally councils could apply for up to $14, 000 in funding per project � The funding limit has now increased to $28, 000 for second-time applicants � Nearly 300 communal banks have been established, which have received $70 million in loans (as of 2007)

Comparisons to Other Examples of Community Governance Most similar to a tribal or community meeting within small rural communities Exclusive to tiny communities though Communal councils are apparent throughout a larger spectrum Has similar attributes of town meeting Discussion and voting on important topics within the community Communal councils meet more regularly than the town meeting model Communal council is an overall blend of many different ideologies revolving around political input

Present situation regarding Communal Councils Eight months after the law pass, approximately 16 thousand councils formed within the country 12 thousand of the groups received funding projects By March 2007, there was an estimated 19, 500 councils registered. As of April 2007 a majority of the groups are in the process of establishing a legitimate group by registering their official documents, electing spokespersons, and formalizing their structure according to the new law

Future of the Communal Councils Critic’s believe that the councils will be used as a means of Chavez’s political control Depends on Chavez’s hold on them Opposition groups to Chavez attempting to use them for their own advantage Opposition won a third of vote and are becoming interested in communal councils Thoughts also persist that the councils will establish their own political identity Demands for more say within funding rules and powers The council may reinvent the participatory government style that Chavez attempted to use for his advancement http: //venezuelanalysis. com/analysis/2257 http: //links. org. au/node/231

Questions for Consideration What do you think the future holds for communal councils? Do you think that communal councils are just an extension of Chavez’s power or that they actually play a dominant role within the government?