| United Socialist Party of Venezuela Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela |
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|---|---|
| Leader | Hugo Chávez |
| Founded | 24 March 2007 |
| Headquarters | Mariperez, Caracas |
| Membership | 5.7 million [2007] |
| Ideology | Bolivarianism Democratic socialism Marxism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| International affiliation | São Paulo Forum |
| Seats in the National Assembly |
97 / 165
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| Website | |
| www.psuv.org.ve | |
| Politics of Venezuela Political parties Elections |
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The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (Spanish: Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela, PSUV) is the name of a democratic socialist political party in Venezuela which resulted from the fusion of some of the political and social forces that support the Bolivarian Revolution led by incumbent President Hugo Chávez. It is the current de facto ruling party of the country and the largest left-wing party in Latin America and the Western Hemisphere. It has an approximate membership of 5.7 million people as of 2007.[1] They held primaries on 2 May 2010 for candidates to the National Assembly election in September, with 2,568,090 members voting.[2]
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The process of merging most of the parties involved in the pro-Bolivarian Revolution coalition was initiated by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez after he won the Venezuelan presidential election of 2006.[3] The process was led by Chávez' own party, the Fifth Republic Movement, and was supported by a range of smaller parties such as the People's Electoral Movement (MEP), Venezuelan Popular Unity (UPV), the Tupamaro Movement, the Socialist League and others [4] which all together added up 45.99% of the votes received by Chávez during the 2006 election.[5] Other pro-Bolivarian parties like the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV),[6] Fatherland for All (PPT)[7] and For Social Democracy (PODEMOS),[8] who added 14.60% of the votes from the mentioned election, decided not to join the proposed party.
On 7 March 2007, Chávez presented a phased plan for founding the new party until November 2007.[9] PODEMOS (For Social Democracy), Patria Para Todos (Fatherland for All) and Partido Comunista de Venezuela (Communist Party of Venezuela) initially stated they would wait until PSUV had been founded and decide their membership in the new party based on its program.[10] On 18 March 2007, Chávez declared in his programme Aló Presidente that he had "opened the doors for Podemos, Patria Para Todos, and the Communist Party of Venezuela if they want to go away from Chávez´s alliance, they may do so and leave us in peace". In his opinion those parties are near to be on the opposition and they had to choose wisely the way to go off, "in silence, hugging us or throwing stones".[11] Patria Para Todos decided at its annual congress from 10 April to 11 April 2007 not to dissolve, while re-affirming its support for Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution.[12]
| Parties joining PSUV | Parties not joining PSUV |
|---|---|
| Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) | For Social Democracy (PODEMOS) |
| People's Electoral Movement (MEP)[13] | Fatherland for All (PPT) |
| Everybody Wins Independent Movement (MIGATO) | Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) |
| Venezuelan Popular Unity (UPV)[14] | Revolutionary Middle Class (CMR) |
| Revolutionary Movement Tupamaro (MRT)[15] | Emergent People (GE) |
| Socialist League (LS)[16] | Action Networks of Communitary Change (REDES) |
| Movement for Direct Democracy (MDD)[17] | Communitary Patriotic Unity (UPC) |
| Union Party[18] | New People Concentration Movement (MCGN) |
| Militant Civic Movement (MCM)[19] | Active Democracy National Organization (ONDA) |
| Action Force of Base Coordination (FACOBA) | National Independent Movement (MNI) |
| Independents for the National Community (IPCN)[20] | Labor Power (PL) |
| Venezuelan Revolutionary Currents (CRV) |
It is also of note that many elements of the revolutionary left have entered into the PSUV and take a enthusiastic and vigorous participation in its struggles. Most notable are the Trotskyist groups Corriente Marxista Revolucionaria, Lucha de Classes (IMT), and Socialismo Revolucionario (CWI).
The party held its founding congress in early 2008,[21] from 12 January to 2 March, with 1681 delegates participating.[22] Hugo Chávez was proclaimed President of the new party on 14 March.[22]
Chávez said that "It's a very young party" with an average age of 35 among members. Analysts agreed, saying: "The assumption is that the younger people are going to be Bolivarians [in support of Chávez], they are going to be the ones whose families have benefited from Chávez's social programs."[1]
With the creation of PSUV, relationships with former coalition parties choosing not to merge soured greatly. By the 2008 regional election campaign in October, Chávez was declaring that "Patria Para Todos and the Communist Party of Venezuela will disappear from the political map because they are liars and manipulators."[23]
In April 2010 an Extraordinary Congress of the PSUV resulted in the endorsement of a range of "general principles", including among others socialism, Marxism, and Bolivarianism; humanism, internationalism, and patriotism; and the defense of participatory democracy and use of internal party democracy. It also defined the party as the "political vanguard of the revolutionary process".[24]
The party is headed at the national level by a president (currently Hugo Chávez), vice-president (Cilia Flores), and a 29-member board of directors:
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