Special edition: A year since Hugo Chavezs death

Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network

February-March 2014 Produced with the support of the Venezuelan embassy in Australia

Fifty truths about Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution

Salim Lamrani President Hugo Chavez, who died on March 5, 2013 of cancer at age 58, marked forever the history of Venezuela and Latin America.
1. Never in the history of Latin America, has a political leader had such incontestable democratic legitimacy. Since coming to power in 1999, there were 16 elections in Venezuela. Hugo Chavez won 15, the last on October 7, 2012. He defeated his rivals with a margin of 10-20 percentage points. 2. All international bodies, from the European Union to the Organization of American States, to the Union of South American Nations and the Carter Center, were unanimous in recognizing the transparency of the vote counts. 3. James Carter, former U.S. President, declared that Venezuela's electoral system was "the best in the world." 4. Universal access to education introduced in 1998 had exceptional results. About 1.5 million Venezuelans learned to read and write thanks to the literacy campaign called Mission Robinson I. 5. In December 2005, UNESCO said that Venezuela had eradicated illiteracy. 6. The number of children attending school increased from 6 million in 1998 to 13 million in 2011 and the enrollment rate is now 93.2%. 7. Mission Robinson II was launched to bring the entire population up to secondary level. Thus, the rate of secondary school enrollment rose from 53.6% in 2000 to 73.3% in 2011. 8. Missions Ribas and Sucre allowed tens of thousands of young adults to undertake university studies. Thus, the number of tertiary students increased from 895,000 in 2000 to 2.3 million in 2011, assisted by the creation of new universities. 9. With regard to health, they created the National Public System to ensure free access to health care for all Venezuelans. Between 2005 and 2012, 7873 new medical centers were created in Venezuela. 10. The number of doctors increased from 20 per 100,000 population in 1999 to 80 per 100,000 in 2010, or an increase of 400%. 11. Mission Barrio Adentro I provided 534 million medical consultations. About 17 million people were attended, while in 1998 less than 3 million people had regular access to health. 1.7 million lives were saved, between 2003 and 2011. Venezuela withdrew from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, after early repayment of all its debts. 41. In 2012, the growth rate was 5.5% in Venezuela, one of the highest in the world. 42. GDP per capita rose from $ 4,100 in 1999 to $ 10,810 in 2011. 43. According to the annual World Happiness 2012, Venezuela is the second happiest country in Latin America, behind Costa Rica, and the nineteenth worldwide, ahead of Germany and Spain. 44. Venezuela offers more direct support to the American continent than the United States. In 2007, Chvez spent more than 8,800 million dollars in grants, loans and energy aid as against 3,000 million from the Bush administration. 45. For the first time in its history, Venezuela has its own satellites (Bolivar and Miranda) and is now sovereign in the field of space technology. The entire country has internet and telecommunications coverage. 46. The creation of Petrocaribe in 2005 allows 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, or 90 million people, secure energy supply, by oil subsidies of between 40% to 60%. 47. Venezuela also provides assistance to disadvantaged communities in the United States by providing fuel at subsidized rates. 48. The creation of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) in 2004 between Cuba and Venezuela laid the foundations of an inclusive alliance based on cooperation and reciprocity. It now comprises eight member countries which places the human being in the center of the social project, with the aim of combating poverty and social exclusion. 49. Hugo Chavez was at the heart of the creation in 2011 of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) which brings together for the first time the 33 nations of the region, emancipated from the tutelage of the United States and Canada. 50. Hugo Chavez played a key role in the peace process in Colombia. According to President Juan Manuel Santos, "if we go into a solid peace project, with clear and concrete progress, progress achieved ever before with the FARC, is also due to the dedication and commitment of Chavez and the government of Venezuela." [Translation by Tim Anderson. First published at venezuelanalysis .com].

12. The infant mortality rate fell from 19.1 per thousand in 1999 to 10 per thousand in 2012, a reduction of 49%. 13. Average life expectancy increased from 72.2 years in 1999 to 74.3 years in 2011. 14. Thanks to Operation Miracle, launched in 2004, 1.5 million Venezuelans who were victims of cataracts or other eye diseases, regained their sight. 15. From 1999 to 2011, the poverty rate decreased from 42.8% to 26.5% and the rate of extreme poverty fell from 16.6% in 1999 to 7% in 2011. 16. In the rankings of the Human Development Index (HDI) of the United Nations Program for Development (UNDP), Venezuela jumped from 83 in 2000 (0.656) at position 73 in 2011 (0.735), and entered into the category Nations with 'High HDI'. 17. The GINI coefficient, which allows calculation of inequality in a country, fell from 0.46 in 1999 to 0.39 in 2011. 18. According to the UNDP, Venezuela holds the lowest recorded Gini coefficient in Latin America, that is, Venezuela is the country in the region with the least inequality. 19. Child malnutrition was reduced by 40% since 1999. 20. In 1999, 82% of the population had access to safe drinking water. Now it is 95%. 21. Under Chavez, social expenditures increased by 60.6%. 22. Before 1999, only 387,000 elderly people received a pension. Now the figure is 2.1 million.

23. Since 1999, 700,000 homes have been built in Venezuela. 24. Since 1999, the government provided / returned more than one million hectares of land to Aboriginal people. 25. Land reform enabled tens of thousands of farmers to own their land. In total, Venezuela distributed more than 3 million hectares.

Five million children now receive free meals through the School Feeding Programme.
26. In 1999, Venezuela was producing 51% of food consumed. In 2012, production was 71%, while food consumption increased by 81% since 1999. If consumption of 2012 was similar to that of 1999, Venezuela produced 140% of the food it consumed. 27. Since 1999, the average calories consumed by Venezuelans increased by 50% thanks to the Food Mission that created a chain of 22,000 food stores, where products are subsidized up to 30%. Meat consumption increased by 75% since 1999. 28. Five million children now receive free meals through the School Feeding Programme. The figure was 250,000 in 1999. 29. The malnutrition rate fell from 21% in 1998 to less than 3% in 2012.

30. According to the FAO, Venezuela is the most advanced country in Latin America and the Caribbean in the erradication of hunger. 31. The nationalization of the oil company PDVSA in 2003 allowed Venezuela to regain its energy sovereignty. 32. The nationalization of the electrical and telecommunications sectors (CANTV and Electricidad de Caracas) allowed the end of private monopolies and guaranteed universal access to these services. 33. Since 1999, more than 50,000 cooperatives have been created in all sectors of the economy. 34. The unemployment rate fell from 15.2% in 1998 to 6.4% in 2012, with the creation of more than 4 million jobs. 35. The minimum wage increased from 100 bolivars/month ($ 16) in 1998 to 2047.52 bolivars ($ 330) in 2012, ie an increase of over 2,000%. This is the highest minimum wage in Latin America. 36. In 1999, 65% of the workforce earned the minimum wage. In 2012 only 21.1% of workers have only this level of pay. 37. Adults at a certain age who have never worked still get an income equivalent to 60% of the minimum wage. 38. Women without income and disabled people receive a pension equivalent to 80% of the minimum wage. 39. Working hours were reduced to 6 hours a day and 36 hours per week, without loss of pay. 40. Public debt fell from 45% of GDP in 1998 to 20% in 2011.

Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network

February-March 2014

Chavez: Life of a revolutionary

Embassy of Venezuela in Australia Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias was the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
As the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Chavez promoted a political doctrine of participatory democracy, socialism and Latin American and Caribbean cooperation. He was also a critic of neoliberalism, globalization, and United States foreign policy. A career military officer, Chavez founded the left-wing Fifth Republic Movement after orchestrating a failed 1992 military rebellion against former President Carlos Andres Perez. Chavez was elected President in 1998 with a campaign centring on promises of aiding Venezuelas poor majority, and was re-elected in 2000, 2006 and 2012. Domestically, Chavez established nationwide Bolivarian Social Missions, whose goals are to combat disease, illiteracy, malnutrition, poverty, and other social ills. Abroad, Chavez acted against the Washington Consensus by supporting alternative models of economic development, and advocating cooperation among the world's poor nations, especially those in Latin America. Chavezs policies evoked controversy in Venezuela and abroad, receiving anything from vehement criticism to enthusiastic support. In 1983, Chavez established the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 (MBR-200). Afterwards, he rose to a number of high-level positions in Caracas and was decorated several times.

Presidency
Following Chavez's inauguration in February 1999, a referendum for a new constitution was soon passed, and a constitutional assembly formed. The resulting 1999 Venezuelan Constitution was approved by another referendum on December 15, 1999. The new constitution included an increase in the presidential term from five to six years, a new presidential two-term limit, a new provision for presidential recall elections, the renaming of the country to Repblica Bolivariana de Venezuela, conversion of the bicameral National Assembly into a unicameral legislature, and creation of the Public Defender, an office authorized to regulate the activities of the presidency and the National Assembly. Elections for all elected government positions followed in 2000 under the new constitution, including for the presidency. Chavez survived an April 2002 coup d'tat attempt which briefly removed him from power. A few months after the coup, on December 2, 2002, Chavez faced a two-month lockout organized by the resistant PDVSA management who sought to force him out of office by completely removing his access to the all-important government oil revenue. The strike/lockout, led by a coalition of labor unions, industrial magnates, and oil workers, sought to halt the activities of the PDVSA. A further attempt to remove Chavez from office, the Venezuelan recall referendum, 2004, also failed. Chavez again won the December 3, 2006 with 63% of the vote, beating his closest challenger Manuel Rosales. After his victory, Chavez promised a more radical turn towards socialism. On August 15, 2007, Chavez proposed a broad package of measures as part of a constitutional reform. Among other measures, he called for an end to presidential term limits and proposed limiting central bank autonomy, strengthening state expropriation powers and providing for public control over international reserves as part of an overhaul of Venezuelas constitution. Chavezs proposed amendments were put to a national referendum on December 2, 2007. However, 51% of voters rejected Chavezs proposal. In 2009, voters passed a referendum to remove term limits from the constitution, paving the way for Chavez to stand for re-election. Chavez went on to win the October 7, 2012 presidential elections, defeating his nearest rival, Henrique Capriles Radonski, by more than 10%. However, Chavez was unable to defeat a recurring cancer which ended his life on March 5, 2013.

Early life
Chavez was born on July 28, 1954 in the town of Sabaneta, Barinas. The second son of two schoolteachers, Hugo de los Reyes Chavez and Elena Frias de Chavez, he was of mixed Amerindian, AfroVenezuelan, and Spanish descent. Due to the Chavez familys impoverished conditions, Hugo Chavez was sent to Sabaneta with his older brother Adan to live with his paternal grandmother, Rosa Ines Chavez. There, he pursued hobbies such as painting, singing, and baseball, while also attending elementary

school at the Julian Pino School. He was later forced to relocate to the town of Barinas to attend high school at the Daniel Florencio OLeary School. Hugo Chavez married twice. He first wedded Nancy Colmenares, a woman from a poor family originating in Chavezs own hometown of Sabaneta. Chavez and Colmenares remained married for eighteen years, during which time they had three children: Rosa Virginia, Maria Gabriela, and Hugo Rafael. They separated soon after Chavezs 1992 coup attempt. Chavez was divorced from his second wife, journalist Marisabel Rodriguez de Chavez. Through that marriage, Chavez had another daughter, Rosines. Chavez had two grandchildren, Gabriela and Manuel. Chavez was raised a Roman Catholic, although he had a series of disputes with both the Venezuelan Catholic hierarchy and Protestant

groups like the New Tribes Mission. Originally he kept his own faith a private matter, but over the course of his presidency, Chavez became increasingly open to discussing his religious views, stating that both his faith and his interpretation of Jesus personal life and ideology had a profound impact on his left-wing and progressive views. According to him, as a result of this background his socialist policies have been borne with roots in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Over the course of his college years, Chavez and fellow students developed a left-wing nationalist doctrine that they termed Bolivarianism.

In the military
At age seventeen, Chavez enrolled at the Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences. After graduating in 1975 as a sub-lieutenant with a degree in Military Arts and Science, Chavez entered military service for several months. He was then allowed to pursue graduate studies in political science at Caracas Simon Bolvar University, but left without a degree.

Chavez promoted a political doctrine of participatory democracy, socialism and Latin American and Caribbean cooperation.
Bolivarianism was inspired by the Pan-American philosophy of 19th century Venezuelan revolutionary Simon Bolvar, the influence of former Peruvian President Juan Velasco and the thought of various socialist and communist leaders including Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. Chavez engaged in sporting events and cultural activities during these years as well. He played both baseball and softball with the Criollitos de Venezuela, progressing with them to the Venezuelan National Baseball Championships in 1969. Chavez also wrote numerous poems, stories and theatrical pieces. Upon completing his studies, Chavez initially entered active-duty military service as a member of a counter insurgency battalion stationed in Barinas. Chavezs military career lasted 17 years, during which time he held a variety of posts including command and staff positions, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Chavez also held a series of teaching and staffing positions at the Academy of Military Sciences, where he was first acknowledged by his peers for his fiery lecturing style and radical critique of Venezuelan government and society.

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Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network

February-March 2014

From Chavez to Maduro

Juan Manuel Karg March 5 will mark one year since the passing away of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. What changes have occurred in Venezuelan politics during his absence? What balance sheet can we draw up of Maduros time as president?
On April 14, 2013, Henrique Capriles came within a whisker of becoming president. Nicolas Maduros small margin of victory (only 1.5%) was just enough to avoid a change of government, something that seem unimaginable just one month earlier during the massive outpouring of people onto the streets, crying and cheering for Chavez. What had change in comparison to the October presidential elections, when the margin was much greater? Nicolas Maduro explained what occurred in a long interview with Roberto Malaver published in January. He stated that, in comparison to the October 2012 elections, on April 14 some 870,000 chavistas did not go to vote. According to Maduro, and after various focus groups and polls had been taken to discover the motives for why some had chosen not to vote, it was determined that 97% of abstention was the product of depression and sadness due to Chavezs death. In the same interview, Maduro stated that for the December 8 municipal elections, this group of nearly 1 million Venezuelans, now feeling better, came out to vote, something that was demonstrated in the final election results. of governability that Maduro would be able to exercise has closed if we look at it in simple numerical terms. The PSUV and its allies now have a majority in the National Assembly with 95 deputies versus 64 for MUD and its allies, 20 governorships versus 3, and 256 mayoral offices versus 81. This represents a huge difference both in the executive and legislative arena, and was unthinkable back in April when the margin was so tight and the future so uncertain. Nevertheless, it is well known that the opposition has other angles of attack besides political ones. The economic war that has generated a yearly inflation rate of 56% for 2013 will continue in 2014. This is no small detail, as it impacts on the lives of millions of Venezuelans who every day have to confront the speculative voracity of this monopolistic economic groups. A second conclusion we can draw is that the frontal attack against this economic war is as, or more, important than next years elections, particularly as no elections will be held this year, something quite unusual given Venezuela seems to be always holding elections. Defeated in the ballot box, these sectors will never rest. They will continue to foment indiscriminate price rises, speculation and shortages of basic goods. The government should, as it did last November, increase controls in order to ensure it wins the invisible elections that will take place in 2014. [Translated from Rebelion by Federico Fuentes]

This anecdote is also useful for visualising the first moments of uncertainty following the death of Chavez. Uncertainty in what sense? In the sense that large sections of the population did totally accept the loss of this guide. For the first few months, Nicolas Maduro was probably more focused on getting to grips with the day to day aspects of running a government. These moments were the most turbulent perhaps for this reason, and the attacks by the opposition and the media, who quickly came out with the slogan Maduro is not Chavez, and sought to destabilise the process of changes Venezuela is living through. Nevertheless, this situation drastically changed due to some of the particular initiatives undertaken by Maduro: the government of the streets, the economic offensive

against speculation and hoarding, and the renewed push for communal councils and communes. Through this process, Maduro was able to project himself as a leader in his own right, firm and with his personality. He went all the way with his policy of attempting to halt the economic boycott that the Venezuelan right wing had planned out. This policy bore fruit in the December municipal elections, when the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allies won an absolute majority. The biggest loser was none other than Capriles, who attempted to turn the elections into a referendum with the hope that the United Democratic Roundtable (MUD) would win more votes than chavismo. Capriles defeat was so big that it generated disputes within MUD: the

re-elected mayor of Greater Caracas, Antonio Ledezma, was designated Co-ordinator of the Commission for Dialogue with the government of Maduro. Maduro held an extensive meeting in the presidential palace with these sectors, in which Capriles was conspicuous by his absence. Ledezma can count in his favour one thing for 2014: he was the only opposition heavyweight that won in the municipal elections, even if only by a tiny margin. Capriles knows this and, taking into consideration Ledezmas rise within MUD, will have to change strategies in order to not lose ground in the future within the opposition alliance. As a first conclusion we can say the panorama of uncertainty that seemed to have opening up on the night of April 14 regarding the level

Maduro speaks out against colonialism at CELAC summit

Ryan Mallett-Outtrim Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for an eradication of colonialism in Latin America at the annual summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
During the summit held in Havana, Cuba over 28 and 29 January, Maduro called for Puerto Rican independence and an end to the United Kingdom's administration of the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, which are disputed by Argentina. The former was offered full membership of CELAC under a proposal made to the summit by Venezuela. Venezuela has come to Havana with its proposals and contributions, which is to declare the region 'free of colonies' and invite Puerto Rico to formally join the family, he stated. There was no immediate response from Puerto Rico, which remains an unincorporated United States territory. Maduro also spoke in support of Puerto Rican independence from Washington. Launched in 2011 in Caracas, CELAC was founded as an alternative to the Organisation of American States (OAS) and currently boasts 33 member states. Unlike the OAS, CELAC excludes the US and Canada. The Venezuelan president called on CELAC members to continue on the path of unity, freedom and prosperity as Simon Bolivar dreamed. Other leftist leaders joined Maduro in calling for the Falklands/Malvinas to be handed over to Argentina and slamming the US on issues ranging from espionage to the ongoing embargo on the host country, Cuba. The only way to resist and get rid of the empire of capitalism is integration, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa told the summit. We have to make Latin America and the Caribbean a space of free men and women, he stated. Cuban President Raul Castro also called on the US to end its embargo of his country, and to close the military base at Guantanamo Bay. The summit reissued a declaration of a zone of peace in Latin America and the Caribbean, and called for the peaceful resolution of international disputes and respect for the Charter of the United Nations. Latin America can join together based on its cultural, political, ideological...diversity, Maduro stated on the second day of the summit. During the event Maduro also signed a series of bilateral agreements with neighbouring countries, which he told press would ensure the supply of capital, goods, services [and] food for our people. agreement with Saint Lucia's prime minister Kenny Anthony under the Petrocaribe initiative. The head of another island nation, Grenada's Keith Mitchell, submitted a request for membership of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) to Maduro. Maduro also met with the presidents of Argentina, Uruguay and Cuba. Tributes were also paid to Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez during the event. The summit opened with one minute of silence for Chavez, who was a key advocate of CELAC's creation. We deeply regret the physical absence of one of the great leaders of our America, the unforgettable Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an ardent and tireless promoter and fighter for independence, cooperation, solidarity and integration, Latin American and Caribbean unity and the very creation of this community, Castro stated. A museum dedicated to Chavez in the east of Havana was inaugurated during the conference. Opened during a ceremony on Wednesday, the museum's exhibit focuses on Chavez's life from childhood to his death last year. CELAC member states also used the summit to hold talks on regional issues that have historically been discussed through the OAS; such as security and human rights. Outgoing Chilean President Sebastian Piera and his Peruvian counterpart Ollanta Humala used the conference to publicly issue a joint statement to end a long-running maritime border dispute. Earlier this week The Hague redrew the border, handing Peru a larger piece of the Pacific Ocean, though Chile held on to coastal fishing grounds. We are sure that by sharing experiences between the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean, we will be able to enrich public policy in every one of our nations, Pinera stated. This year's summit ended with Cuba passing the rotating CELAC presidency to Costa Rica. President of Costa Rica Laura Chinchilla stated her country's presidency of the organisation will prioritise respect for human rights and rule of law in their national and international dimensions as a basis for harmonious coexistence. Ecuador will hold the presidency after Costa Rica, Maduro reported yesterday.

The summit opened with one minute of silence for Chavez, who was a key advocate of CELAC's creation.
Meeting with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Maduro said he would remain committed to tackling border crime, including international narcotics traffickers operating between Venezuela and Colombia. Let's crush the smugglers and smuggling mafias, Maduro stated. The Venezuelan head of state also inked a new energy trade

Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network

February-March 2014

Witnessing a revolution in action

Federico Fuentes The December 4-13, 2013 solidarity brigade to Venezuela was the 14th of its kind organised by the Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network (AVSN). The next brigade will be held from December 2 to 13, 2014.
This brigade was the first since Chavezs death in March 2013, and coincided with both the municipal elections and the unleashing of a range of new economic measures undertaken by the government as part of beating back the oppositions economic war against the revolution. This years delegation was comprised of 13 participants from Australia, Bulgaria, England, and New Zealand. An important component of this years delegation was the participation of a number of members of the Trade Union Choir that sung in a choir festival in Cuba just prior to the start of the brigade. While the official activities were not due to start until the night of Wednesday, December 4, as some brigade participants were arriving that afternoon, Ruben Pereira, from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA) Social Movements Council, offered to organise a days worth of activities with those already in the country. The morning began with an interview involving brigade participants on Rubens radio program on the community radio station, Colectivo Radiofonico Petare. Afterwards, Ruben took us to meet activists from the Commune in Macas, located in Petare. Participants had the opportunity to find out more about the process of forming communal councils and communes, as well as getting to see some of the projects the commune has undertaken. This included a direct communal property companies entrusted with gas distribution service, an Infocentre which provides free internet access, and a locally-run public transport route. We also visited a cooperative-run chocolate factory, where we spoke with the workers about their struggle to get the company up and running under workers control. That night we had our orientation session, which went through some of the important organizational issues and the agenda of the visit. We also had a lovely dinner prepared by our friends at the Ateneo Popular, where most of the brigade stayed when in Caracas. The following morning we met again with Ruben, this time in the offices of the ALBA Secretariat. He gave the delegation a warm welcome and some introductory words about ALBA. From there we travelled via the new Metrocable cable car to Mariche to visit the Latin American School of Medicine Dr Salvador Allende (ELAM). Students from a number of countries, including from the Caribbean, Mexico, Paraguay and Palestine, among others, together with the schools director, Dr Sandra Moreno, greeted us on our arrival. potato harvesting, including through the recuperation of local seeds that had almost disappeared. We visited both the laboratory and greenhouses they have in place for seed production, discussed questions of agricultural production and issues facing farmers in Venezuela. From there we travelled further uphill to speak with Carmen, one of the spokespeople from the local Commune Pasos de Bolivar 1813 about the process of building communes and their experiences in popular participation. Finally, we travelled to Apartaderos to see some of the projects the commune had been working on, including a new school, Infocentre, medical clinic and sports field. On the morning of December 12, brigade participants visited the Alternative School in Barrio Pueblo Nuevo. This was an opportunity to see the school in action, interact with the children, and speak to some of the teachers. There is also a local Barrio Adentro module attached to the school, so participants got to find out more about the health program. In the afternoon, a meeting was organised at a local space taken over by communal councils at which participants spoke with student activists from the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) and independent activists. That night the delegation travelled back to Caracas Although a meeting had been scheduled for December 13 with Yul Jabor, a PCV deputy in the national assembly and head of the foreign relations commission, the meeting was cancelled as Jabor had to travel to South Africa to attend Nelson Mandelas funeral. Instead, in the afternoon, we met with Amlcar Carvajal, Director for Co-ordination of Culture and Solidarity with the Peoples. This provided the group with an opportunity to express their opinions about what they had seen during the visit as well as ask questions about issues and doubts they still had. That night, we had a final debrief session and farewell dinner at the Ateneo Popular. Overall, the visit was a great success. The different meetings and community visits gave a good overview of the revolution and its achievement to date in across different spheres (social missions, communes, workers rights, agricultural production, etc.), while attempting to address perhaps the three key areas of major interest given the current context (the elections, the economic war and the process of building communes). To register, express your interest, or for more information on the next :AVSN brigade to Venezuela to be held in December 2014: Email: brigades@venezuelasolidarity.org Phone: Jim McIlroy 0423 741 734, Roberto Jorquera 0425 182 994 or Lisa Macdonald 0413 031 108. Visit: venezuelasolidarity.org.

The Latin American School of Medicine. Brigade participants spoke with students from a number of countries, as well as with the schools director, Dr Sandra Moreno.

A meeting was organised in the main hall, where students provided the group with a little information about ELAM, how they came to be there, and what it meant to be able to study for free to become a doctor and go back to help their communities. After lunch, we walked around the installations of ELAM, including an onsite medical centre where we spoke to some of the Cuban doctors about the work they are doing in Venezuela. Afterwards, we returned to the ALBA offices to hear a presentation on Petrocaribe by Amaylin Riveros, manager for social and socio-productive projects in Petrocaribe. Her presentation focused on the social programs carried out in countries that have signed up to the preferential oil trade agreement. As a number of participants then went along to the closing rally for the election campaign of the Chavista candidate for Mayor of Caracas, Jorge Rodriguez. On December 6 we took a day trip out to Valencia, in the state of Carabobo, to visit Industrias Diana, a food processing plant that was nationalized in 2009 and now operates under workers control. After a tour of the factory, which also houses a PDVAL food distribution point, a free medical clinic, a government-subsidised pharmacy and a state bank outlet, we spoke with some of the members of the workers councils. They talked of the improvements for workers rights that had occurred since nationalisation, the dilemmas they faced to ensure the company was self-sustaining, as well as the recent confrontation they had with the government over the name of a new manager. The next morning we did a tour of the historic centre of Caracas, looking at how the government (local and national) has been working to improve it. The walk around included a visit to Plaza Bolivar, Simon Bolivars house, and a number of the government-supported outlets in the area selling chocolate, coffee, books and other local products at just prices.

While some stayed in the area to walk around on their own, a small group went on to visit Puente Llaguno, Plaza de la Revolucion, Miraflores Palace and some other nearby sites that hold important value for the Bolivarian revolution. In the afternoon we met with Zulieka Matamoros, an activist from Barrio 23 de Enero and leading member of Marea Socialista, a current within the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, who took us on a tour of the community and provided participants with a history of the radical neighbourhood.

The next solidarity brigade to Venezuela will be held from December 2 to 13, 2014.
We walked past some of the Barrio Adentro modules that provide the community with free healthcare, a Simoncito Bolivarian childcare centre, and other community spaces. We visited an old police station that had been taken over by the community and was now being used to house a community radio, an Infocentre and a bookshop, and which provided a space for community groups to meet. We also walked up to the Cuartel de la Montana, the military barracks where Chavezs remains are housed. Afterwards, Zulieka fielded a range of questions regarding the revolution, the state, communes, criticisms from the left, etc. The day finished with a number of participants hanging around for a party that was organised in the local area. December 8 was the day of the municipal elections. We visited the Andres Bello school which houses the largest polling station in the country. There we spoke with Antonio Vivas, the National Electoral

Council president for the Candelaria district of Caracas, who was heading up that particular polling booth on the day. He gave us a rundown of the voting system and answered questions from the delegation. Afterwards, participants were shown some of the main sites in the Bellas Artes cultural area, including the Teresa Carreno Theatre, some nearby art galleries and museums, the Hotel ALBA Caracas and a local organic farm. A number rode the nearby Metrocable up to San Agustin. The following morning we met with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Relations, including Orietta Caponi, Director for the Department covering Asia, Middle East and Oceania region, and Daniel Gasparri and Ana Robles, who also work in this ministerial department. The meeting took place in the historic Casa Amarilla that dates back to colonial times. Participants were able to ask numerous questions about Venezuelas foreign policy (including about the Tamil struggle in Sri Lanka, Libya and Syria, and other topical debates). Afterwards, we briefly visited the Bolivarian University of Venezuela (UBV), before heading off to Merida later that afternoon. December 10 was largely a free day to allow participants some rest and a chance to recover from the overnight bus trip, as well as a chance to see some of the sights in Merida. In the early evening, we had a meeting with Tamara Pearson, Ewan Robertson and Ryan Mallet Outtrim, journalists from Venezuela Analysis. This was an opportunity to find out more about the work of Venezuela Analysis and ask general questions about what has been going on in Venezuela. The next day we headed off early in the morning to Mucuchies, further up the Andes, were we meet with local farmers from the Proinpa cooperative who are working with the government on a seed bank project. The principal focus of the project is to provide seeds to farmers for