Venezuela's Maduro announces public debate on constitutional reform

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
29 Jan 2025 09:14

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro also announced a 54% increase in funding for regional and local projects, totaling $447,275,707.

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses government supporters after he was sworn in for a third six-year term, at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, January 10, 2025. (AP)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Tuesday the launch of a public debate on February 15 regarding proposed constitutional amendments, a process he initiated soon after beginning his third term.

Citing an article from Venezuela’s 1999 constitution, Maduro stated that the government would hold "a public debate based on the constitutional reform that we're going to kick off on February 15 of this year."

The president emphasized his intention to "definitively integrate the popular power" into the constitution, referring to Venezuela’s 49,000 communal councils—local governing bodies primarily composed of government supporters that oversee public service improvements and manage subsidized food distribution in urban areas.

The proposed constitutional reform will be put to a referendum later this year, though an exact date has yet to be announced.

Maduro asserted that the constitutional reform aims "to broaden Venezuelan democracy, perfect the Bolivarian constitutional model, and to design the society of the future."

On January 15, just five days after being sworn in for another six-year term, Maduro established a commission to draft the constitutional amendments. The body is chaired by Attorney General Tarek William Saab, who was also involved in drafting the 1999 constitution. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and First Lady Cilia Flores will also serve as members of the secretariat.

Maduro was declared the winner of last July’s presidential election, with the National Electoral Council (CNE) awarding him 52% of the vote. However, the council never released polling station data, saying it had been the target of a cyberattack.

Meanwhile, the opposition, which published its own polling station-level data, maintains that its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, won by a wide margin.

Post-election protests resulted in 28 deaths and nearly 200 injuries. Additionally, more than 2,400 people were arrested, with 1,900 subsequently released.

Maduro announces new structure of Federal Council of Government secretariat

Maduro also announced the new composition of the Federal Governing Council's Secretariat for 2025 and increased resources for community projects, the teleSur news website reported on Tuesday.

Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez will preside over the council, joined by Minister of Electric Energy Jorge Elieser Marquez and Minister of Science, Technology, Education, and Health Gabriela Jimenez, the report indicated.

Additionally, the council will include governors Primitivo Cedeno (Portuguesa), Ernesto Luna (Monagas), and Jose Alberto Galindez (Cojedes), alongside Caracas Mayor Carmen Melendez and mayors Luid Gerardo Caldera Morales (Mara municipality) and David Morel Rodriguez (Maneiro municipality).

Maduro also announced a 54% increase in funding for regional and local projects, totaling $447,275,707. These resources will be allocated through the Interterritorial Fund of the Federal Government Council, with governors receiving a 29% increase, mayors 15%, and Popular Power 130%.

The Venezuelan President also called on citizens to take part in the first National Popular Consultation, scheduled for February 2, allowing them to vote on their communal projects. This initiative aligns with the upcoming Parliamentary and Regional Elections set for April 27, 2025.

Furthermore, Maduro awarded the Order of Francisco de Miranda to Hojjatolah Soltani, Iran’s Ambassador to Venezuela, and Yacine Hadji, Algeria’s Ambassador, in recognition of their distinguished diplomatic contributions.