Venezuela Holds Events in Honor of Hugo Chavez

On Tuesday, the young people of the United Socialist Party (PSUV) will lead a solemn event at the "Mountain Barracks," where the remains of former President Hugo Chavez, the historical leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, rest.

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"Eleven years after Commander Chavez's sowing, we ratify his legacy: a powerful revolutionary identity that brings together the forces of the emancipatory deeds in our Amerca's history. Chavez lives and will always live in rebellion, conscience and hopes. About everything, however, he lives in our joy and desire to fight," Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said regarding this year's commemorations.

Millions of Venezuelans today remember the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, who died on March 5, 2013, while serving his people from the Presidency of the Republic.

"From a young age, he was inspired by the ideas of Simon Bolivar, Simon Rodriguez, and Ezequiel Zamora, and he set out to change the destiny of a country subjected to the domination of elites and imperialism. His charisma, courage, and commitment made him the undisputed leader of a popular movement seeking a profound transformation of Venezuelan society," Venezuelan journalist Nailet Rojas recalled.

On February 4, 1992, Chavez became a national public figure when he led a civic-military rebellion against the far-right President Carlos Andres Perez. This insurrection against the Venezuelan oligarchy failed, and Chavez and his comrades were arrested. However, the hope for radical change began to take root in the consciousness of Venezuelans.

"After leaving prison, Chavez traveled the country to organize the movement with the people, setting as its goal an electoral victory to end more than 40 years of neoliberal bipartisanship. In 1998, he won the presidential elections with 56 percent of the vote, initiating a process that gave rise to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela's constitution, the first to recognize the rights of indigenous peoples, women, workers, youth, Afro-descendants, and the environment," stated Rojas.

"Chavez promoted a series of social, economic, cultural, and diplomatic policies that improved the quality of life for millions of Venezuelans and strengthened national sovereignty. Among his most notable achievements are the reduction of poverty, illiteracy, inequality, and infant mortality; the nationalization of strategic resources such as oil, gas, gold, and telecommunications; and the creation of social missions, which ensured access to education, health, food, housing, culture, and sports," she added.

Chavez also made his presence felt in international relations and global geopolitics through various projects aimed at consolidating Latin American and Caribbean unity.

To build the "great homeland" dreamed of by the liberator Simon Bolivar, the Venezuelan leader promoted the establishment of institutions such as the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).

In reaction to these and other proposals, Washington, its regional allies, and the Venezuelan far-right have been trying to destroy the Bolivarian Revolution for more than two decades.

In April 2022, for example, traitorous military personnel executed a coup and kidnapped Chavez. The response of the Venezuelan people and the Bolivarian National Armed Forces was resolute and expressed in an insurrection that rescued Chavez and reinstated his presidency.

Strengthening institutions and democratic processes, the Bolivarian Revolution continued to consolidate since then. By October 2012, Chavez won his fourth presidential election with 55 percent of the vote, but he could not be sworn in for the 2013-2019 term due to cancer.

"Elleven years after his passing, Commander Chavez remains alive in the hearts of the people, who remember him with love, gratitude, and commitment. His voice, laughter, song, example, thought, work, and spirit remain present in every battle, victory, and dream of Venezuelan men and women who follow his path of dignity, sovereignty, and liberation," Rojas stressed regarding the 2024 commemorations whose motto is "Hope is in the Streets."