The PCV has claimed that the judicial ruling is part of a scheme orchestrated by the leadership of the PSUV to take over the party’s credentials.
Mexico City, Mexico, August 15, 2023 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) firmly rejected a recent ruling by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) that appointed a new ad-hoc board to lead the party.
In a video message posted Monday, PCV Secretary General Oscar Figuera shared the declaration issued by the V Plenum of the Central Committee of the party in light of the court’s decision, arguing that it constitutes an “illegal” intervention in the internal affairs of the organization.
“This sentence by the Constitutional Chamber is an illegal and incorrect sentence,” said Figuera.
In its statement, the Central Committee maintains that the seven people appointed to the board of directors are not PCV members and therefore cannot occupy leadership posts in the party, making their appointment by the court an “usurpation” of the collective’s credentials.
The TSJ responded favorably a complaint by a self-styled “movement” that calls itself “Patriotic PCV” and claims its goal is to “rescue” the organization. The newly appointed ad hoc board will be led by Táchira politician Henry Parra.
This movement held what the PCV deemed a “fake congress” in May, where a new leadership was elected. This was viewed as the first step in a broader plan to demand possession of the PCV’s legal and electoral credentials.
The PCV has claimed that the scheme is being orchestrated by the leadership of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), pointing the finger in particular at ranking Chavista figure Diosdado Cabello, who has frequently criticized the PCV and its recent political stances.
The court ruling comes as the PSUV prepares for the constitutionally mandated 2024 presidential elections. The Venezuelan Communist Party participated for many years in the PSUV-led Great Patriotic Pole that submitted unified lists in electoral contests, having supported Nicolás Maduro in both of his presidential victories.
However, the party eventually broke with the ruling socialists over policy differences and fielded independent candidates under the so-called Popular Revolutionary Alternative in the 2020 and 2021 electoral contests. However, its results were underwhelming.
With the Maduro government adopting liberal policies in an attempt to kickstart the economy while under heavy US sanctions, the Venezuelan communists have grown increasingly critical, deeming the measures as “anti-worker” and favoring capital.
In contrast, the Venezuelan communists have been criticized for appearances in right-wing, foreign-funded media and accused of building common ground with the country’s traditional opposition.
In its Monday declaration, the PCV reiterated its criticisms of the PSUV and its leadership, condemning the “neoliberal policies” of the Maduro government while simultaneously criticizing the country’s right-wing opposition.
Venezuelan human right organization Surgentes, which has accompanied the Bolivarian process from a working-class perspective, issued its own statement criticizing the court’s ruling, alleging that it constituted a violation of the political rights of party members and the Venezuelan population as a whole.
“Since 2021 there has been evidence of a state-driven libel operation against the PCV, which passed off people from outside the party as grassroots militants who question the leadership,” read the statement from Surgentes.
High-profile Chavista commentator Luigino Bracci likewise criticized the latest developments, calling the TSJ decision “a distraction” and “absurd.”
For his part, Figuera said that the party would continue to pursue its legal options inside Venezuela as well as international actions.
“We are preparing new actions in the legal field but also promoting national and international solidarity,” said Figuera.
Numerous communist parties and other left organizations from throughout the world have already expressed their solidarity with the Communist Party of Venezuela.
The court’s ruling coincided with an event organized by the PCV to commemorate the 86th anniversary of the first national conference of the Communist Party of Venezuela and 100 years since the birth of notable party leader Alberto Lovera. A number of renowned figures from the Venezuelan left attended the event to express solidarity.
At the event, Figuera reminded attendees of the sharp differences the PCV had with former President Hugo Chávez in 2007 after the party refused to dissolve itself and join the PSUV but nonetheless maintained a comradely relationship.
New (old) contradictions just dropped.
Solidarity with our Venezuelan comrades and against imperialism targeting Venezuela. Anyone here know an effective way to help out our comrades?
If you are in an IMCWP party or youth organization, and if your organisation hasn’t yet made direct (through formal statements) or more indirect (articles for mass party press organs for ex) statements, push for that.
I won’t necessarily say in what way certain parties give concrete help to the PCV due to the fact in many cases it involves “illegally” bypassing sanctions.
At a non organized level, keep yourself informed and don’t allow the likes of say, Ben Norton, in sapping international solidarity by him spreading absolute shameful lies on the situation.
My org is modestly incompetent so I appreciae the info! Will do some more research based on your suggestions.
Saw a twitter thread from Ben Norton (WARNING: twitter/x link, sorry nitter doesn’t work for me anymore) detailing how they’ve been moving to the right and supporting the imperialist hybrid war against their country:
Many supposed “leftist” critics of Venezuela are objectively allied with the imperialist right wing.
The so-called “Communist” Party of Venezuela (PCV) has been moving to the right for years, and formed a de facto alliance with far-right US-backed coup plotters like María Corina Machado, who has openly called for a US military invasion and coordinates closely with Washington.
PCV leaders were also collaborating with opposition “NGOs” funded by the US and EU.
They took a ridiculous ultra-leftist position, portraying right-wing agents of imperialism as a lesser evil compared to the elected, constitutional President Maduro.
This is why the PCV leadership was changed. The previous leaders were objectively aiding the murderous imperialist hybrid war on their country. (Illegal, unilateral US sanctions on Venezuela have killed at least 100,000 civilians, in a conservative estimate.)
There has been a similar ideological crisis in the “Communist” Party of Greece and some other parties that follow its misguided line, taking positions that objectively ally them with imperialism and the right wing.
In addition to aiding the US government’s murderous war on Venezuela, they absurdly demonize China as “capitalist” and claim it is allied with imperialism (while they are the ones objectively siding with imperialism!).
They ridiculously claim that the NATO proxy war in Ukraine is “inter-imperialist”, and some of their leaders go so far as to support Ukraine, claiming its far-right US client regime is defending “self-determination” (while it tragically sacrifices Ukrainians as cannon fodder to defend imperialism).
Some of these same “orthodox” “communist” parties also backed the violent right-wing US-sponsored coup attempt against Nicaragua’s democratically elected Sandinista government in 2018.
They also took an ultra-leftist position in Mexico, claiming progressive nationalist President AMLO is just another bourgeois politician, essential siding with the right-wing, oligarch-run opposition against him.
Many praised the US-backed violent riots in Iran as well.
These parties are in profound crisis. They are also mostly small, and are hemorrhaging the support they do have, largely because it’s increasingly obvious how they have become useful to imperialism.
They really must reconsider many of their positions and forge a new path – one in alliance with the majority of anti-imperialist socialist movements in the Global South, which have long been and are the leaders of the international left.
Ben Norton is completely, absolutely, painfully wrong in these two tweets and is reaching serious anti-communist slanderous levels. There has been discussions on the issue for the past couple days, see my posts, and that of thelastaxolotl here: https://hexbear.net/comment/3719428
And there: https://hexbear.net/comment/3718791
The first tweet falsly accuses the PCV for “moving to the right” without instantiating it whatsoever. If anything PCV has moved TO THE LEFT as the PSUV moved to the right, especially starting 2018 when the ARP was created as a loyal left opposition against the objective neoliberal reforms done by the PSUV and the attacks it did on its once most steadfast left allies. Things soured even faster after that, especially once PSUV started openly collaborating with the right opposition and doing huge concessions to imperialism while attacking victories of the Bolivarian revolution. All that being said, defense of the PCV must go hand in hand with a steadfast opposition to ANY imperialist pressures on Venezuela. The allegations repeated by Norton without base about PCV being defacto pro imperialist are disgusting. Edit: One of his claim in the first tweet is also straight up manipulative. He says the “leadership was changed” and leaves it at that. What happened is the following: the PSUV went and made a group of non party members and long ex-party members to make a politically motivated judicial attack through the national electoral council to be given the leadership of the party. That means seizing the party logo, legal status, legal face, etc. A hijacking, directly helped by HIGH ranking members of the PSUV like Diosdado. The PCV like any communist party is governed via dem-cent, with the CC and the leadership elected by the membership at a central convention that happens every so years (3,4,5 are the usual years through communist parties the world over, as a rule of thumb). The convention also democratically decides the party lines and positions. The current leadership is abiding by what the mass membership wants, it so happens what the mass membership wants is to stick to Chavez, Bolivarianism, anti-imperialism, and the socialist reinforcement of the Bolivarian revolution. And the PSUV is not a fan TM, especially as it rolled down labour rights recently leading to working class protests.
The second tweet is IMO even MORE shameful: there Norton attacks the KKE, the PCM, and by extention the overwhelming majority of the IMCWP, and blatantly misrepresents their positions, the nuance in said positions, and their actions. To depict the KKE for example as pro Ukraine is single handedly enough insult to get beat up senseless in Athenes. The KKE in terms of opposition to NATO and the war did more than Norton could even dream of. When he is capable of mobilizing thousands to block (physically, via blockading trains) NATO arms shipments to Ukraine, mobilizing union workers to disrupt supply, maybe he can start flapping his glorified blogger’s mouth. He went full anti-communist in defense of…a social democratic government rapidly betraying the bolivarian process and attacking communists.
Ben here is flirting with Larouchites and various patsoc/right opportunist parties currently trying to hyjack the world communist movement through the ill named “World Anti-Imperialist Platform”. At the very least he shares their same pseeudo anti-imperialism that swings to support to bourgeois forces and opposes communist ones. It’s sus as all hell too. It’s also absolutely not Leninist.
And I say all that as someone who appreciates his work generally speaking. But those two tweets? Shameful, disgusting, gulag worthy big ass pack of lies. For much balanced news on this situation I would encourage checking out what has been said through the IMCWP, venezuelaanalysis, and Arropea (if u speak spanish).
Edit: if I can add, you can see for yourself the countless tweets responding to him pointing out how wrong his take is on this one, if not down right libelous. With sources and documents. It’s odd to repost his tweets as authoritative several days after him getting absolutely dogpiled by various communists from various parties, and as the PCV is receiving messages of support from the entire world communist movement as we speak. I don’t want to insinuate anything but as always, more investigation is better than a cursory one.
Norton is wrong on this one
oh okay i’ll just take your word for it with no further explanation
As you should, as you should
Thanks for sharing this context - I really didn’t know enough about either the PCV or PSUV to know who was more legit
It’s the PCV.
We can balance critical support for the PSUV against imperialist pressures while condemnig obvious and blatant ill founded anti-communist attacks by it in a context of more than questionable economic moves done in the past few years, putting as stake in the process several key elements of the bolivarian revolution.
I’m woefully out of date on Venezuelan politics…
