Youth-led initiatives will take center stage in the next National Popular Consultation in Venezuela, according to Diosdado Cabello Rondón.
Cabello made the announcement during a communal gathering at the Héroes de Chirica Socialist Mission Base in Caroní Municipality, Bolívar state. He serves as the sector vice president of Politics, Citizen Security and Peace and minister of the People’s Power for Interior Relations, Justice and Peace.
“The youth are on board right now, the next consultation belongs to the youth,” said Cabello.
The upcoming youth-focused ballot follows the National Popular Consultation held on October 18. Residents across the country posted and selected priority projects for their neighborhoods during that vote.
Cabello said communes and communal councils form the operational core of the Bolivarian Revolution during the event in Bolívar. He argued that territorial presence must pair with active self-government to achieve popular sovereignty.
He credited the ongoing expansion of the communal network to the legacy of Hugo Chávez and the political awareness of the population. He defended community-led execution of public funds against critics, saying community groups manage local affairs with transparency.
“The people are the best executors we have when funds are handed over. Every cent is accounted for, every bolívar is accounted for,” said Cabello. Opponents attempt to halt communal frameworks because they fear organized citizens.
“Because they are terrified of the organized people. But they are even more terrified of the organized people who govern,” he asserted.
The minister addressed specific infrastructure commitments in the region alongside the youth initiatives. He confirmed the direct execution of a security camera project featuring a technological monitoring room for Caroní Municipality, which emerged as a winning proposal in the popular consultation. His ministry assumed responsibility for other local needs following community requests.
Cabello proposed reallocating funds toward constructing medical clinics and pledged to build a drinking water well in the area. Projects not winning initial votes—such as sports field renovations—are addressed through ministerial plans that have already rehabilitated more than 1,400 athletic courts with support from the Guardia del Pueblo.
“Commune or nothing” is not just a slogan; it is the power our people hold in every territory to decide, act, and interact,” Cabello said during a separate stop in the Brisas del Orinoco community within Unare parish.