Venezuela assigns Angel Prado from El Maizal as Minister of Communes, according to Maduro's recent decision.
Revamped Dispatch:
Caracas, June 8, 2024 (our site) - Fresh from the heartland, communard Ángel Prado, ex-mayor of Simón Planas and a figure of influence within the people's movements of Venezuela, steps into the role of Minister of Communes and Social Movements.
Known as the public face of the eminent El Maizal Commune, Prado boasts the respect of many in the country that's currently undergoing a socio-political transformation.
In a broadcast last Thursday, President Nicolás Maduro lauded the street-savvy leader as the ideal choice to command the battalion tasked with erecting communes and communal councils. Maduro also endorsed the reform of the Organic Law of Popular Power recommended by the National Assembly during the event.
Assuring the nation he would shift gears where necessary, Maduro declared his government would back the advancement of communal projects wholeheartedly.
Expressing gratitude and pledging commitment, Prado, the new minister, promised a nationwide gathering of communes and grassroots movements to fortify local organization in the Caribbean nation.
"We've moved apart at times, but now's the moment to pull together," Prado asserted. "The hurdles ahead include winning the upcoming Presidential election on July 28."
Popular power organizations applauded Prado's appointment. Panal 2021 Commune in Caracas voiced optimism that the long-standing experience would serve the ministry well. The Che Guevara Commune in Merida state hailed Prado's boldness and political acumen as crucial to tackling the looming challenges.
Forged in 2009, El Maizal, one of Venezuela's popular communes, comprises 22 communal councils, spanning Lara and Portuguesa states, and 4,500 families.
Across its history, El Maizal has orchestrated agricultural processes primarily in corn cultivation and livestock rearing. The commune garnered attention during Venezuela's economic crunch by seizing abandoned land and production means, regardless of their ownership, to reactivate them as social enterprises governed by the commune.
A trailblazer in circumventing local bureaucracy, Prado ran for the mayorship of Simón Planas township in 2017 on the Homeland for All (PPT) ticket. The elections controversially dismissed him, awarding the position to Socialist Party (PSUV) candidate, Jean Ortiz. In 2021, Prado ran in the PSUV primaries and secured the Simón Planas mayoralty.
Hugo Chávez once dubbed communes as "unit cells" for constructing socialism. Conceived as self-governing ventures with participatory democracy at their core, the communes are designed to gradually take control of means of production and public services.
El Maizal has been a key pioneer in the Communard Union, a noteworthy initiative. In his new role, Prado takes over from Guy Vernáez, following a brief tenure that saw him replace former Minister Jorge Arreaza in February. Vernáez retains his position as head of the Federal Government Council (CFG), the body responsible for financing popular power ventures.
Vernáez's most notable achievement was orchestrating the National Popular Consultation on April 21, during which 4,500 citizen-led communities chose local projects to be funded by the Venezuelan state. The selection ranged from infrastructural repairs to improving production facilities.
The Maduro government intends to contribute approximately $10,000 to each project and heralded the initiative as a success. The communes are expected to execute these projects and submit accountability reports. The authorities are mulling over holding such consultations at regular intervals.
- Ángel Prado, the influential communard from Simón Planas, has been appointed as the Minister of Communes and Social Movements in a bid to strengthen local organization across the Caribbean nation.
- In our current climate of socio-political transformation, the new minister Prado, known as the public face of the El Maizal Commune, promises to shift gears where necessary and tackle the challenges ahead.
- Amidst the looming hurdles, including winning the upcoming Presidential election on July 28, El Maizal, one of the pioneering popular communes, continues to be a trailblazer in the implementation of participatory democracy and socialist ideals.
- Forged in 2009, El Maizal, comprising 22 communal councils and spanning Lara and Portuguesa states, has orchestrated agricultural processes and seized abandoned resources to reactivate them as social enterprises.
- Disarticulated cells of governance and industry, communes like El Maizal are gradually taking control of production means and public services, as envisioned by the late Hugo Chávez.
- In his new role, Prado, an advocate for grassroots movements, aims to fortify local organization and tackle the challenges posed by migration, war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice, and accidents, including car-accidents and fires, within the policy-and-legislation and general-news spheres.
- The advancement of communal projects is wholeheartedly backed by the Maduro government, as it seeks to address issues on a local level, creating a more unified and interconnected nation.
