Venezuela鈥檚 socialists scored聽an overwhelming victory in mayoral elections on December 10, taking over 90%聽of the country's municipalities.聽
President Nicolas Maduro鈥檚 United Venezuelan Socialist Party (PSUV), along with its allies, have secured victory in 308 of Venezuela鈥檚 335 municipalities. According to preliminary results, the governing socialist party managed to take 21 out of the country鈥檚 23 state capitals as well as the Caracas Capital District.
In view聽of the December 10 municipal elections, communards and revolutionary activists closely associated with some of the most important initiatives in communal organisation in the country have been put forward as candidates for mayor.
Although we cannot say this is a mass phenomenon, it is undoubtedly a deeply significant event for various reasons.
Venezuela鈥檚 National Constituent Assembly (ANC) has denied permission to one of its grassroots delegates to stand as a mayoral candidate in聽the upcoming December 10 municipal elections.
Angel Prado was elected to the ANC on July 30 as a territorial delegate for his聽municipality of Simon Planas. Prado is also a leading member of the El Maizal commune in Lara state.
It is no secret that in today鈥檚 corporate-dominated media landscape, Venezuela appears almost ubiquitously as a synonym of 鈥渄ictatorship鈥.
This is why many may be surprised that Venezuela will hold its 23rd election in 18 years on December 10 when Venezuelans go to the polls to elect local mayors.
It is important to understand the context and the intended (as well as likely) effects of the US administration's actions. With encouragement from Florida Senator Marco Rubio and other Republicans, US President Donald Trump has been trying to help topple the elected government of Venezuela.
Venezuela鈥檚 Revolutionary Sex and Gender Diversity Alliance (ASGDRe) was set up in 2009 as a collective to fight for gender diversity rights and against discrimination based on sexuality.
What separated ASGDRe from other similar groups was that they openly supported the revolutionary process taking place in Venezuela.
Speaking with members of ASGDRe, as part of the international solidarity delegation organised by Venezuela Analysis in August, they told us that the group began with about 10 members, mainly friends.
A high profile member of the ultra right-wing Popular Will (VP) party, Yon Goicoechea, was freed by Venezuelan authorities聽on November 4 after more than a year behind bars.
Goicoechea was arrested last August by national security forces for the alleged possession of explosive devices, just two days before an opposition march.聽
Since being granted conditional release, Goicoechea has confirmed his candidacy for the mayoralty of the wealthy municipality of El Hatillo, despite his party calling for a boycott of upcoming elections.聽
Speaking to a huge march on November 7, Venezuelan President Nicol谩s Maduro said that, during the Russian Revolution,聽the workers took political power into their hands for the first time. "In Revolution, all times are a battle and they are a struggle!", Maduro told the popular celebration聽of the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik-led revolution on the outskirts of the Miraflores Palace Caracas.
The president recalled that the Revolution聽showed for the first time聽that workers could take聽political power in their hands to build a state.
The second vice-president of Venezuela鈥檚 National Constituent Assembly (ANC) has been removed after he publicly criticised聽the body鈥檚 inaction in the face of the country鈥檚 deepening economic crisis.
Former Attorney- General Isaias Rodriguez penned an op-ed in Venezuela鈥檚 centre-left newspaper Ultimas Noticias on October 23 in which he warned Chavismo could lose next year鈥檚 presidential elections, 鈥渋f the government and the National Constituent Assembly do not offer timely responses to this problem [of inflation]鈥.
The Canaima Industries factory in Caracas is the assembly point for computers that are given to students for free across Venezuela. Its name comes from the huge Canaima National Park in the south of Venezuela, home to extraordinary landscapes and the highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls.
We visited the small computer factory, located in the middle of a military base in the east of the capital, as part of the international solidarity delegation organised by Venezuela Analysis in August.
One of the most important aspects of Venezuela鈥檚 pro-poor Bolivarian Revolution has been its promotion of women's empowerment through community organisation.
To get a sense of how this grassroots process of community organising is developing and the role women are playing in the process, we visited the Ataroa and Lomas de Leon communes as part of the Venezuela Analysis international solidarity delegation in late August.
President Nicol谩s Maduro鈥檚 United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) won 17 of 23 states in Sunday鈥檚 gubernatorial elections, the National Electoral Council (CNE) has confirmed, on October 15.
According to CNE President Tibisay Lucena, 61.14% of Venezuela鈥檚 18-million-strong electorate came out to vote, marking a record participation in the country鈥檚 regional elections, second only to the 65.45% turnout in 2008.