The communities of Venezuela have strengthened through their votes a mechanism for the people from the grassroots themselves to determine which of their problems should be prioritized and to secure the necessary resources to address them. The National Electoral Council (CNE) reported «notable citizen participation.»
Millions of residents from communities in every Venezuelan state took part this Sunday in the Second National Popular Consultation of 2026—the eighth since 2024. The high turnout prompted the National Electoral Council (CNE) to extend voting hours by one hour, until 7:00 PM, in a journey that proceeded with normality.
In the process, which began at 8:00 AM, more than 5,418 communes and communal circuits—coordinating the efforts of over 48,000 communal councils—selected projects for public funding. These projects were chosen from a pool of 37,205 development initiatives previously identified by the communities themselves during open assemblies. Across the country, 12,769 polling stations were set up in 11,495 voting centers, which remained open from the morning until 7:00 PM on Sunday.
In the afternoon hours, while announcing the extension of voting hours, the CNE confirmed that the day was unfolding «with complete normalcy» and with «notable citizen participation.»
The electoral authority further guaranteed that any polling station with people still in line after 7:00 PM would remain open until the last person had exercised their right to vote, ensuring full access to the selection process for community projects. The direct democracy process was supported by the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, which deployed over 170,000 personnel to ensure the protection of electoral materials and the safety of the public.
Among the projects up for selection, 428 were proposed by condominium boards.
President in Charge Delcy Rodríguez, celebrating the event on social media, highlighted the inclusion of these boards. «For the first time, condominium boards are joining our communal circuits to select the projects their communities need. Let the strength of our citizens be felt in every corner of Venezuela!» she wrote. Prior to the consultation, Rodríguez highlighted that «It is the People’s Power, to ensure that decisions regarding the daily affairs of our population and our communities remain in the hands of the community itself.»
The previous popular consultation for selecting community projects in Venezuela took place on March 8. In 2025, four such consultations were held: the first on February 2, the second on April 27, the third on July 27, and the fourth on November 23.
On Friday, the President in Charge provided details regarding the projects included in the vote. «Fourteen percent of the more than 37,700 projects up for selection concern water. Other areas include road infrastructure, street lighting, electricity, public services, and productive processes,» she stated.
Rodríguez highlighted that, through this consultation, the Venezuelan people «exercise a form of democracy that is participatory and proactive,» underscoring that this mechanism «consolidates local decision-making and strengthens ‘Popular Power’ in addressing social issues.» While casting his vote in the communal circuit of the Rogelio Castillo Gamarra commune—located in the Petare parish of Miranda state—the First Vice President of the National Assembly, Pedro Infante, emphasized that this mechanism strengthens democracy and consolidates the People’s Power.
«Today, you are not electing a specific individual, but rather a project, an idea—a solution to the community’s problems. That is why it is essential to strengthen Venezuelan democracy and consolidate the People’s Power,'» he said, highlighting the high level of youth participation. Regarding youth, the Minister of People’s Power for Youth, Sergio Lotartaro, highlighted the deployment of youth teams across every state in the country to ensure the broadest possible participation in the Second National Consultation 2026.
«The entrepreneurial youth, those who study, who make cultural activities or sports, come together today to vote on projects for their respective communes. They are an active, joyful generation, committed to the development of their communities,» he stated.
At the end of the day, the Minister of People’s Power for Communes, Social Movements, and Urban Agriculture, Ángel Prado, remarked that Venezuela had experienced «a day of democracy—an electoral celebration—that strengthened a mechanism allowing the people, from the grassroots level and through the vote, to prioritize the resolution of their own problems and secure the resources needed to carry out these works.»