<http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/3068>
CHAVEZ INAUGURATES FOUNDING CONGRESS OF NEW SOCIALIST PARTY OF VENEZUELA
January 14th 2008,
by Kiraz Janicke and Federico Fuentes
Venezuelanalysis.com
Caracas, January 14, 2008 (venezuelanalysis.com) - Over one
year after he first proposed the formation of the United
Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez opened the founding congress of the new party on
Saturday with a four hour long speech in the San Carlos de
Caracas prison-where he himself spent two years imprisoned
after leading a military rebellion in 1992-now converted
into a historical museum.
Referring to the recent defeat of his proposed
constitutional reform proposal, Chavez argued that it was
necessary to go on the offensive with the "United Socialist
Party of Venezuela as the spearhead and vanguard" of the
revolution, "In order that December 2nd never happens
again."
"Enough with betraying the people. We have arrived here to
make a real revolution or die trying," he said, while
summarizing how previous governments had betrayed their
promises time and again.
Speaking to the 1,676 delegates and invited guests from more
than 20 countries, Chavez stressed that the formation of the
PSUV was necessary to push forward the Bolivarian process. A
revolution "cannot depend on one person or an elite, rather
it must be based in the people," he said.
In order to guarantee the continuation of the revolution,
the PSUV had to become a party that would subvert the
historic capitalist model of the bourgeois state, Chavez
said.
It is also necessary for the PSUV to carry out a struggle to
avoid the rise of a "new Bolivarian oligarchy," of a new
bourgeoisie, he warned, because these groups could easily
convert themselves into traitors and counterrevolutionaries.
It is therefore important to combat any infiltration by the
bourgeoisie in the PSUV, he added.
Chavez also argued that the PSUV needs to link up with the
trade unions and social movements and that the social
movements needed to transform themselves into a political
force capable of driving forward the revolution.
Referring to Mission Ribas, which has organized some 500,000
previously excluded Venezuelans into secondary education,
Chavez stated, "This is a social movement which at the same
time should form itself as a political force, as should the
unions and other organizations".
This transformational political force, said Chavez, requires
a united and coherent leadership in order to propel the
movement towards its goal, whilst tackling the issues of
lack of cohesion and internal disorder between the
pro-Bolivarian revolution parties that threatened the
continuity of the revolution.
Chavez reiterated his recent call for the formation of a
Patriotic Alliance of all forces that support the Bolivarian
revolution and withdrew his public criticism of the
Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) and Homeland for All
(PPT) for not dissolving to join the PSUV. "Many of their
leaders were tortured here in this prison" under previous
governments of the Fourth Republic Chavez commented.
Understanding the real history of the country and the rise
of revolutionary processes was important argued Chavez,
recalling that 2008 marked 100 years of US domination over
Venezuela, when US intervention resulted in the overthrow of
then president Cipriano Castro and ended the Liberal
Restoration Revolution he had led.
As part of learning about history, revolutionary processes,
and the training of cadres, he announced that a printing
press for the PSUV would be shortly inaugurated to publish
books and ideological texts. The PSUV will be "a school to
transform and create the new historic bloc and construct
socialism in all its ambits." To fund this, an account would
be set up for PSUV militants to deposit money Chavez said.
The promoter commission of the PSUV, which has been
converted into a technical commission of support, in order
to organize and facilitate the founding congress, also
distributed two documents, one of 24 pages and the other of
around 40 pages, which outlined draft proposals for the
program, principles, statutes, and structure of the party.
Some of the draft proposals include; the election every two
years of a National Committee of 281 members and the
formation of a Committee of Disciplinary Ethics, composed of
7 members, who would be elected by the National Committee.
Over a six week period in April to May 2007, a massive 5.7
million Venezuelans registered to become members of the new
party. This was followed by a process of convoking grass
roots assemblies or "socialist battalions" to discuss issues
such as the political program and statutes of the PSUV as
well as general education on socialism and Chavez's project
of constitutional reform.
On September 29 a total of 14,368 spokespeople from each
socialist battalion were elected, with spokespeople from
every 7-10 battalions forming a socialist circumscription,
which in turn each elected one delegate to the founding
congress.
The congress is scheduled to last for two months to allow
time for delegates to report back to the socialist
circumscriptions and socialist battalions. The PSUV will
then elect candidates for the upcoming elections for mayors
and governors in October.
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