Venezuela will hold elections for justices of the peace on December 15. The nomination process for communal justices of the peace concluded this past Sunday. These justices will handle local legal matters within their communities.
Justices of peace be elected in Communal Circuits, a process that will be carried out through direct voting in the territorial areas belonging to the Venezuelan communes. This will constitute an unprecedented achievement of people’s democracy ignited by the recent approval of the reform of the Communal Justice of Peace Law.
These communal justices will handle conciliation, mediation, and arbitration. A key role will be safeguarding the rights of children and adolescents.
Minister of Communes Ángel Prado reported to President Nicolás Maduro that over 52,000 individuals are candidates for justice of the peace positions nationwide. “There is a great political will throughout the nation, there is a lot of activation in view of the elections,” Prado said.
He highlighted the extensive participation in the nomination process, citing assemblies held across various states, including Zulia, Apure, Caracas, Anzoátegui, and Carabobo, as well as in indigenous communities.
“There is a lot of motivation on the part of the population to elect the judges of the peace, and in that deepening of democracy the people become more empowered, it becomes a communal culture, and that is what the Venezuelan right fears, that there is no point of return, the people have become empowered,” Prado stated.
Prado noted that of the 5,297 communal circuits, 4,840 have proceeded to elections, with an additional 353 indigenous communities participating. “That are well organised and are respected and recognised as part of our society,” he added.
