Venezuela popular consultation lets more than 5,400 communes choose from 37,205 community projects, expanding participation to condominium boards.
Related: Venezuela Holds the Second National Popular Consultation of 2026
Venezuela Popular Consultation Becomes Democratic Tradition
The Venezuela popular consultation is taking place across the country on Sunday, October 18, as more than 5,400 communes choose between 37,205 community development projects.
Venezuela’s Sectoral Vice President for Planning, Ricardo Menéndez, said the Second Popular Consultation of 2026 reaffirms the principles of grassroots democracy and strengthens the country’s participatory political system.
Menéndez described the consultation as a space that brings neighbors together to improve daily life and build broad national consensus.
The official said the exercise has become part of the democratic culture of the Venezuelan people. He argued that participation has gradually become a cultural practice within each commune, helping to create a new form of government and reorganize the state.
Menéndez linked the process to the political project promoted by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who has called for the redesign of state institutions around community participation.
The consultation allows residents to decide which projects should receive public financing and which priorities should guide local development.
The process is based on proposals selected during open community assemblies. Residents first identify local needs, then rank projects and submit them for a national vote.
The initiative seeks to move beyond traditional representative democracy by giving communities a direct role in allocating public resources.
More than 5,418 communes are participating in the vote. Each community is choosing among seven projects selected during assemblies held in the weeks leading up to the consultation.
The projects were developed through the Concrete Action Agendas, a planning process designed to identify local needs and organize community priorities.
The proposals address basic services and infrastructure needs, including drinking water, road repairs, school rehabilitation, health centers, electricity, public lighting, agriculture and sports facilities.
The consultation is taking place in 11,495 voting centers across Venezuela. Authorities said the centers will remain open as long as voters are waiting in line.
The process is supported by more than 12,700 electoral tables and approximately 48,086 communal councils organized within the country’s communes.
Unlike ordinary elections, the popular consultation allows citizens aged 15 and older to participate. The rule expands participation to young people who are not yet eligible to vote in general elections.
🇻🇪 Venezuela inicia hoy 18 de octubre la Segunda Consulta Popular Nacional de 2026. Millones de ciudadanos participan en más de 11.000 centros de votación*en todo el territorio nacional. #18Oct #ConsultaPopular2026 #ConsultaPopular #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/bNHaAyEqay
— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) October 18, 2026
Venezuela Popular Consultation Expands Participation
Venezuela’s Ministry of Popular Power for Communes | Venezuela’s National Electoral Council
The Venezuela popular consultation includes a major new feature: for the first time, condominium boards are participating in the process.
Approximately 120,000 condominium boards and neighborhood organizations are voting on 428 projects related to health, school rehabilitation, roads, agriculture and sports areas.
The inclusion of condominium boards expands the consultation beyond the traditional communal councils and communes that have participated in previous editions.
The change reflects an effort to involve urban residents who organize through apartment buildings and housing associations rather than through formal communal structures.
The government says the incorporation of condominiums will allow resources to reach communities that previously had limited access to participatory budgeting.
The initiative is also intended to strengthen links between residents, local authorities and state institutions.
The 428 condominium projects were selected through assemblies held in buildings and residential complexes. Residents identified needs such as repairs to common areas, water systems, electrical installations, elevators, roofs and access routes.
The projects are concentrated in several states, including Anzoátegui, Aragua, Carabobo, Lara, Miranda, Zulia and Caracas.
The pilot program covers approximately 40,097 families and includes 461 condominiums and 83 neighborhood organizations.
Authorities say the experience will be evaluated before condominium boards are incorporated more broadly into future consultations.
The expansion is significant because urban housing has become a central issue in Venezuela. Many buildings require maintenance after years of limited investment, economic pressure and damage caused by natural disasters.
The consultation also responds to the impact of the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24. Some communities have proposed projects to rehabilitate vulnerable housing and repair public infrastructure affected by the tremors.
The government says the process ensures that resources are directed according to community priorities rather than decisions made exclusively by central authorities.
The consultation is the eighth national popular consultation organized since 2024 and the second held during 2026.
The first consultation of 2026 took place on March 8. The second was originally scheduled for July 12 but was postponed because of the June earthquakes.
Delcy Rodríguez announced the new date after community organizations requested additional time to address the damage caused by the seismic events.
The consultation is therefore taking place amid reconstruction efforts in areas affected by the earthquakes, including La Guaira and other parts of central Venezuela.
The government has emphasized that the process is supported by Article 70 of the Venezuelan Constitution, which recognizes referendums, consultations and other forms of direct participation.
The constitutional framework provides the legal basis for citizens to participate in decisions affecting public life, including the selection of local development projects.
Community Projects Target Basic Services
Venezuela’s Ministry of Planning | Venezuela’s Communes and Social Movements
The Venezuela popular consultation is designed to direct public resources toward projects identified by residents themselves.
The proposals reflect the immediate needs of communities across the country. Water supply is one of the most common concerns, with approximately 14 percent of the projects related to improving access to drinking water.
Water shortages have affected many Venezuelan communities because of damaged infrastructure, irregular electricity supply and limited maintenance capacity.
Other projects focus on road repairs, public lighting, electricity, school rehabilitation, health centers, sports facilities and agricultural production.
The projects are intended to address both immediate needs and longer-term development goals.
In Mérida state, for example, more than 1,700 community projects are being voted on. Local priorities include roads, water, education and public services.
In Caracas, communities have proposed projects to rehabilitate vulnerable housing damaged by the June earthquakes, repair building facades and improve communal spaces.
The consultation gives residents the opportunity to select the project they consider most urgent. The winning project is expected to receive financing, while other proposals may be included in a project bank for future funding.
The process is intended to prevent resources from being allocated according to political discretion or administrative convenience.
The government says the consultation is part of a broader effort to build what it calls a communal state. That model seeks to strengthen local organizations and give communities greater authority over public resources.
The communal model is based on the idea that citizens should participate directly in decisions affecting their neighborhoods, rather than relying solely on elected representatives.
The government argues that the consultation creates a new form of governance in which communities become the foundation of public planning.
Critics question whether the process has sufficient transparency and whether resources are distributed equitably across all regions.
They also point to Venezuela’s economic difficulties, including inflation, shortages and limited access to foreign currency, which can affect the implementation of approved projects.
The government has responded by saying that the consultation is a mechanism for organizing communities and directing scarce resources toward priority needs.
The participation of condominium boards and neighborhood associations could make the process more inclusive, but it also increases the administrative challenge of verifying projects and ensuring that funds are used correctly.
The consultation’s results will provide information about the priorities of Venezuelan communities. They may also influence future planning and budget decisions.
Geopolitical Context
The Venezuela popular consultation has political significance beyond local development because it forms part of the government’s effort to strengthen communal democracy.
The process is designed to consolidate the role of communes, communal councils and neighborhood organizations in public administration.
The government presents the consultation as a response to external pressure and as evidence that Venezuela’s political system remains active despite economic difficulties and international sanctions.
The consultation also has a regional dimension. Venezuela’s communal model has been promoted as an alternative to traditional representative democracy and has influenced political debates in other Latin American countries.
The inclusion of condominium boards could expand the model to urban communities that have historically been less connected to communal structures.
The process may therefore influence how other governments think about participatory budgeting, local planning and community organization.
The consultation is taking place during a period of reconstruction following the June earthquakes. The government is seeking to demonstrate that communities can participate in decisions about recovery and public investment.
The popular consultation also reinforces the government’s argument that public resources should be directed toward social needs rather than private profit.
The challenge will be to ensure that approved projects are completed and that communities can monitor their implementation.
The Venezuela popular consultation is therefore both a voting exercise and a broader political process aimed at reorganizing the state around community participation.
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