Newly-elected members of the Venezuelan National Assembly swore oaths of office on Jan. 5 – including the right-wing majority that won December’s elections against a backdrop of powerful economic warfare waged against the working class and government of Venezuela.
While the National Assembly ceremony took place, thousands of supporters of the Bolivarian government took the streets outside to show their unflagging support for the revolutionary process started by late President Hugo Chávez.
That process has produced considerable social gains: free health care and education, eliminating malnutrition and illiteracy, and, recently, the completion of over one million homes for working-class Venezuelans.
It has also advanced anti-imperialist and internationalist politics, constructing trade alliances to enhance Latin American integration, shown political support for besieged peoples in Palestine, Libya and Syria, and even provided heating oil to poor areas in the South Bronx and Chicago.
Those in the streets of Caracas explicitly championed the government’s socialist direction. Banners flew through the streets of downtown Caracas proclaiming “the Assembly for the bourgeoisies, the streets for the people.”
The government has itself called for a “Democracy of the Streets,” with street assemblies to bring the political process directly to the barrios all over, to correct mistakes and strengthen the revolutionary movement for the struggles ahead.
Minoty Torres, a member of the Mink’a social movement, spoke with Liberation News during the march, saying, “The power is in the streets and in the people, and, even though we lost the Assembly, we don’t have to give up the struggle in the streets.”
A statement released in partnership of several social movements, including the Bolívar and Zamora Revolutionary Current (CRBZ), explained:
“A circumstantial electoral majority is one thing, and the majority of a revolutionary people permanently in the streets is another much stronger thing. 112 counter-revolutionary assemblymembers is one thing, and another thing is millions of men and women organized in communes, workers’ councils, unions, and collectives, united with their patriotic and anti-imperialist armed forces. The strength of the revolution remains intact because it’s in the hearts and the consciousness of millions of our people.”
Right-wing supporters gathered just to the east of Caracas’ main downtown area, and, despite rumored violence, no deaths were reported. The Chavista march concentrated in the areas around the presidential palace and other key government buildings, to defend against potential right-wing vigilante violence.
The swearing-in returned to office many long-time Venezuelan politicians responsible for the failings of the 1980-90s neoliberal era known in Venezuela as the Fourth Republic. This includes the notorious Caracazo – the violent military repression of a popular uprising, resulting in an estimated 3,000 civilian deaths. These same political figures also have ties to the financial sabotage, hoarding, and speculation, that created the economic crisis responsible for the election’s results.
The right wing’s main priorities appear to include the release of fellow politicians arrested for their calls to street violence and to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office.
Minoty told Liberation News:
“Before Chávez, everything was privatized. You had to pay for public services, so if you were working class, it was impossible to get anything because you had to have a lot of money. The best thing about this government, about when the revolution happened and Chávez came, is that people realized that we have rights and that, as human beings, we have a right to everything that exists for our wellbeing. … And that’s the big difference [between the Bolivarian government and the right wing.], and that’s why were in the streets, because we have to maintain that.”
In addition to the thousands of Venezuelans who claimed downtown Caracas’ streets this week, millions more remain dedicated to defending the revolution. It is now more important than ever for working class people around the world to stay vigilant in support of the Bolivarian revolution.
