Venezuela holds national consultation for communes as opposition calls for intelligence reforms

Venezuela is conducting its 8th National Popular Consultation, involving 5,418 communes and communal circuits. Citizens will vote to decide which community projects receive financing. Prioritized initiatives include water access, the rehabilitation of schools and health facilities following earthquakes, urban and agricultural road improvements, and the upgrading of youth sports facilities.

Minister for Communes and Social Movements Ángel Prado stated that the projects were not selected unilaterally but were identified through community discussions and planning. He described the process as a “day of democracy” and a community-driven process rather than a conventional election.

Separately, opposition figure Enrique Márquez has called for the dissolution of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM). Márquez characterized these agencies as structures of “political repression” and argued they should be replaced by modern, professional institutions subject to democratic controls and judicial supervision. He noted that United Nations fact-finding missions have previously linked these organizations to human rights violations.