Venezuelan communal councils


In April 2006 the Government of Venezuela passed The Law of Communal Councils which empowers local citizens to form neighbourhood-based elected councils that initiate and oversee local policies and projects towards community development. Many Communal Councils became colectivos after they were armed by the Venezuelan government.
Over 19,500 councils were registered throughout the country and billions of dollars have been distributed to support their efforts by the Bolivarian government.

Structure

Communal councils are a group of elected persons from a self-defined residential neighbourhood of about 150 to 400 families in urban areas, or closer to 20 families in rural areas, and potentially 10 in indigenous communities. The principal decision making body of a communal council is the citizens' assembly. The formal functioning committee is composed of the following five units:
All council persons are people within the community elected by the citizens' assembly for a period of 2 years. No person can occupy positions in more than one unit at time.

Unit of social oversight

The Unit of Social Oversight is a group of five community members elected by the Citizens' Assembly. They are an independent group who monitor and report on the application of council resources and activities towards the community development plan. They are also known as the Anti-corruption Unit.

Community Coordination Collective

The Community Coordination Collective is charged with galvanizing community organization, informing and training community members, and coordinating with the local militia reserves.

Present situation

Eight months after the law was passed, over 16,000 councils had already formed throughout the country. 12,000 of them had received funding for community projects – $1 billion total, out of a national budget of $53 billion. The councils had established nearly 300 communal banks, which have received $70 million for micro-loans.
As of March 2007 19,500 councils were registered. The law of Communal Councils was last reaffirmed and updated in November 2009.