CONNIE ELDRIDGE DONNIE WELCHJACK GROSSMANANDREW MACIAS

Communal Councils within Venezuela

History of Communal Councils

1980s, 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 12th 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 councilAssembly elections are done directly and in secretOther decisions are done by majority of raised handsMeetings are 2-6 hour public events often held

outdoors in the streets Attendance from the community varies from 50-150

citizensFrequency 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

micro-neighborhoods 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 organizationInforms 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

spectrumHas 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/2257http://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?