[NYTr] Chavez Outlines Social, Economic Structure for Venezuelan Socialism

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Venezuelanalysis.com - October 9, 2007
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/2706

Chavez Outlines Proposed Social, Economic Structure 
for Venezuelan Socialism 

By Chris Carlson

On Sunday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez outlined his conception of
how his constitutional reform proposal change the political and
territorial organization of the country and will provide more political
power to community organizations. Chavez made his presentation during
his weekly TV and radio program Aló Presidente.

"With the approval of the Constitutional Reform, with the power that it
will give to the people, we will break from this straightjacket that
the colonial model imposed upon us," said Chavez on Sunday from the
Humboldt Hotel on the mountain above Caracas.

Chavez spent much of his show this week explaining what he calls "the
new geometry of power," which will reorganize the political,
territorial, and economic structure of the country. Chavez has said
that these changes will be fundamental to the planned transition to a
socialist system in the country.

The president explained the proposed territorial distribution, which
will be made up of states, federal districts, municipalities, communes,
federal territories, and island districts. Chavez has explained before
that organized communities will unite to form communes throughout the
country, which will basically be self-governing entities.

As for political organization, the communities will exercise power
through the communal councils, workers councils, and farmer and
producer councils. Chavez emphasized that in this way the communities
will have increased decision-making power with regards to the
administration of public resources and public works.

"It's not bringing power closer to the people, but rather giving power
to the people," emphasized Chavez.

The national government will be assigning a total of Bs. 3.2 trillion
(US$ 1.4 billion) to communal councils in 2008, according to Chavez. He
said that the money would be progressively administered to the
communities over the next year as they get organized.

"For next year, once we have popular power included in the
constitution, the government will be ready to transfer resources,
duties and responsibilities to the communes, starting in January of
2008," said Chavez.

He went on to explain the proposed economic configuration that will set
up productive units under the management of communes and in the form of
socialist enterprises and cooperatives. Chavez emphasized that the
economy would be centered on satisfying the needs of the Venezuelan
communities and decreasing inequality in the population so that "there
are not such extreme differences among Venezuelans."

"Popular power is the essence of full democracy, of socialism, of
socialist democracy. Only in socialism can we achieve it," he said.

Along these lines Chavez also proposed transferring the management of
the national community health system Barrio Adentro to the communities.
He said that with the changing of the constitution, an automatic 5
percent of the national budget will go directly to the communities, and
along with this each community could manage the primary health clinics,
the first tier of the Barrio Adentro health system.

He also proposed that with the constitutional reform the communities
will be able to manage other programs, such as administrating money for
educational scholarships in each community, as well as the maintenance
of the public schools and other public services. Chavez assured that
his constitutional reform proposal would be approved by 60 percent of
the population.

Humanitarian Accord in Colombia

The Venezuelan president also made several references on Sunday to his
efforts to mediate in the conflict between the Colombian government and
the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). During his show he
called on Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to help him in arranging a
meeting with the leader of the FARC Manuel Marulanda.

A meeting between Chavez and the FARC leaders has been in the works for
several weeks, and was eventually set for Saturday, October 8th, but
had to be postponed for security reasons. Chavez insists that the
meeting is essential to the efforts to reach a humanitarian exchange of
hostages, but the Colombian government has not guaranteed secure
conditions for the guerrillas in meeting with Chavez.

"I think the government of President Uribe needs to help us in that
respect. The statements of the Colombian defense minister didn't help
much, when once the meeting was announced he said that the FARC
guerrillas would be moving at their own risk, and that they would
continue carrying out operations to capture them. That, as they say in
Colombia, seemed like a stick in the spokes," said Chavez.

Chavez assured that he would continue to work to arrange a meeting with
the FARC leaders and to achieve a humanitarian agreement between the
Colombian government and the guerrilla organization. He assured that he
will work with patience, but will not stop efforts to mediate in the
conflict.

                             ***

El Universal - October 9, 2007
http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/10/09/en_refco_art_opposition-parties-c_09A1120087.shtml

Opposition parties campaigning against Chávez's proposed changes 
to the Constitution

Regardless of the decision each opposition party makes to participate
or not in a referendum on the changes to the Constitution proposed by
President Hugo Chávez, dissenters are uniting to launch a campaign to
reject the intended modifications.

Víctor Bolívar, chair of Acción Democrática, explained that the leaders
of opposition parties Un Nuevo Tiempo, Copei, Alianza Bravo Pueblo,
Movimiento al Socialismo and Acción Democrática, among others, have met
to outline a common strategy against the proposed changes, which they
called a threat for democracy.

Bolívar said that next October 10 they are launching the campaign, with
a ceremony in Brión Square, Chacaíto. "The leaders of all the parties
involved in this action to counter the reform" will attend the act.

Meanwhile, Rafael Contreras, leader of opposition Copei party, asked
the National Electoral Council (CNE) to ensure equal conditions during
the campaign.

Therefore, he called upon the top electoral body to let the opposition
visit the military barracks and garrisons -just like President Chávez
did- to explain the scope and implications of the proposal.