The fourth Popular Consultation of 2025 in Venezuela had a different symbolism compared to previous ones, according to residents of the communities who participated in the vote. Willmar Rondón, a youth leader from the San Agustín commune in central Caracas, says that amid the growing threat from the United States, the act of leaving home to vote is also a way of showing that Venezuelans continue living their lives.
“We Venezuelans have a way of living and facing all the situations we are experiencing. Despite the blockade that exists against our country, all the young people, all the adults live organized, holding assemblies. This is proof of that: the Popular Consultation being held today, November 23,” he says.
For Gilda Hernandes, another neighborhood leader, the vote on Sunday, November 23, was a show of the population’s support for Nicolás Maduro. “We have to continue Hugo Chávez’s legacy. That’s why President Nicolás Maduro has to receive the support of us Venezuelans. It won’t be easy for the United States to come in here.”
President Nicolás Maduro posted a message on Monday, November 24, saying the elections recorded a participation record. More than 5,000 communal circuits participated in the election and were able to choose from more than 36,000 proposed projects.
Among local leaders, there is consensus that the number of voters has been growing, even given so many electoral processes and consultations that Venezuelans are subjected to.
In general terms, the Popular Consultation is a mechanism that allows residents to choose which infrastructure projects they want to see implemented in their neighborhoods. Based on the assembly decision, each commune chooses seven projects that are put to a vote. The two most voted receive USD 10,000 each so they can be executed.
A neighborhood school that held one of the 9,000 voting stations, for example, benefited from a renovation carried out after a popular consultation – the roof received waterproofing work and the leaks were fixed.
However, the budget doesn’t always cover all costs. That’s why, in more than one election, residents of the Aleida Hernández commune voted for the revitalization of neighborhood residents’ homes. And those with less purchasing power were given priority.
“Since April 2 of last year, when the first consultation was implemented, at least in this commune, Aleida Hernández, about almost 500 homes have been benefited. The community itself decides who will execute its project and how they will execute it,” says Robert Contrera, a resident of the region.
For Juan Carlos Galindo, PSUV leader in San Agustín, what explains the electorate’s presence at the Popular Consultations, even amid threats of war, are the results obtained in previous votes.
“We have been increasing participation in each of the consultations. Initially, there wasn’t much faith, but seeing all the projects and everything we have achieved in the territories, we have been gradually increasing and already reaching the same number we have in a presidential election, in a municipal or legislative election,” says Galindo.
First published in Portuguese at Brasil de Fato.
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