seems there is small shift from indifference (circa 2018) to embracing communes, but largely puff piece, not a lot of info about what they do, how much they control etc (i remember being discouraged how small they were relatively speaking)
CPM: A good example of close cooperation between the government and the communes are the popular consultations that began in May 2024. Could you explain how they work? How does the consultation process transfer power to the communes?
AP: The popular consultation processes have become an important channel between the government and the communes in this juncture. The first step consists of assemblies that are held in all the communes and communal circuits [essentially communes that are yet to be consolidated] around the country. In these assemblies, people come together to debate and prioritize the most pressing problems. Then comes a nationwide voting process in which the members of each commune select a single project among those that the assemblies have identified as necessary.
After the voting process, funds are allocated to each commune or communal circuit, which then takes responsibility for seeing the project through to completion. For now, funding is limited [10,000 USD per consultation], but the president has indicated that municipal and regional governments should also finance communal projects.
In this way, each project comes out of a planning process that is internal to the community. People have embraced this new practice. It has re-engaged many who had withdrawn from communal participation and restored faith in communal councils and communes. Now everyone can see how communes can indeed address collective problems.
The upshot is that confidence in communal structures is being restored. For almost a year now, popular consultations have been held every three months, and participation grows with each new cycle. People have come to trust this method.
but seems like they may get official designation/relationship to state tho, which is pog:
The majority of Venezuelans live in working-class communities, and they require state support to address their needs. Just as townships and the state governments have a constitutional right to receive funding, we demand that communes be granted the same right—one that does not depend on the political will of a particular mayor, governor, or minister but is mandated by the constitution. It should be a constitutional duty of the Venezuelan state to guarantee access to these funds.
Our debates about the constitution are only beginning, but we will reach a decision this year. There is broad agreement that one of our key objectives should be to ensure that the term “commune” is incorporated and recognized in the constitution. However, it is just as important to define the communes’ relationship with the state and guarantee their access to funding.