National Assembly elections on September 26 – Defend the Bolivarian revolution!

For the first time, the PSUV held internal primary elections to select its candidates, after there had been much criticism from the rank and file about the way candidates had been chosen previously. More than 2.5 million members participated in these elections. The opposition MUD barely managed to get 360,000 to participate in its primary elections, which only affected a small fraction of its candidates, most of the others being chosen behind closed doors.

In fact, the highest vote even for the project led by Hugo Chávez was in the presidential elections in 2007, when the revolution declared its socialist objectives, receiving more then 7 million votes. The two main contenders in the upcoming elections are the Socialist United Party of Venezuela (PSUV) which is allied with a number of smaller revolutionary parties (the Communist Party, UPV, MRT, MES) on the one hand, and the Democratic Unity Table (MUD) of the opposition on the other. For the first time, the PSUV held internal primary elections to select its candidates, after there had been much criticism from the rank and file about the way candidates had been chosen previously. More than 2.5 million members participated in these elections. The opposition MUD barely managed to get 360,000 to participate in its primary elections, which only affected a small fraction of its candidates, most of the others being chosen behind closed doors. The previous national assembly elections in 2005 were boycotted by the opposition, who withdrew at the last minute seeing that all opinion polls were predicting their humiliating defeat. This left a National Assembly composed only of Bolivarian deputies. Currently the National Assembly is composed of a majority block of 139 PSUV and 3 PCV deputies. The oposition has only 25 deputies, from parties which were initially Bolivarian but later joined the opposition. 

What is at stake in these elections it is not just a new majority in the National Assembly, but the continuation of the revolutionary project. Wherever the opposition have won regional governors or local mayors, they have moved to dismantle the social programs (Misiones) which the revolution has created in the fields of education, health care, food, etc. Certainly the opposition would put an end to the experiences of workers’ control in the basic industries and would reverse the nationalisations which have taken place. Moreover, the main leaders of the opposition and their parties were all involved in the coup which briefly overthrew president Chávez in April 2002, showing their real reactionary character. 

Once again, the mass media, the opposition, and US imperialism have launched a campaign against the Bolivarian revolution which combines diplomatic pressure, military exercises, economic sabotage, lies and slander in the media. It is vital that we step up our solidarity work. A decisive victory for the revolutionary candidates in these elections would allow the Bolivarian revolution to advance to socialism. A defeat would throw the whole country back and destroy what has already been achieved.

(This article was published in the National Assembly elections issue of the HOV Newsletter)