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"participatory or representative?
The 1999 Constitution established for Venezuela a "Participatory democracy" conceived as a combination of direct and representative democracy. Were incorporated into the Constitution various policy instruments for the direct participation as referendums, citizens' assemblies, the recall. For participation in the social and economic, among others, rose to rank of cooperatives, and forms of association guided by values \u200b\u200bsuch as solidarity and mutual support. The Constitution kept the mechanisms of representative democracy: universal suffrage, direct and secret for maximum public office, political parties and party competition, the alternation in office and the legislature, representative par excellence popular sovereignty. This combination of direct representation is quite novel as democratic model, and has raised interest and expectations among many progressives inside and outside the country, especially given the failure of socialism in the twentieth century with its co-party model unit, pyramidal bureaucracy. However, the Venezuelans are still showing a strong distrust of representative democracy, especially to the parties for their disastrous performance in the past. Unfortunately, the new parties have shown few virtues to overcome the rejection. Accordingly, it is becoming more widespread among citizens and leaders of different political persuasions that the idea representation is not necessary, and that what we seek is to continue deepening participatory democracy. In recent days, in what seems to go in that direction, the president of the National Assembly proposed to be a sixth power called "People Power". Interestingly, it seems that is not considered sufficiently representative of the people who chose to vote. How will this one be chosen? Who is there to represent the popular? In many complex societies like ours, the representation is essential. There is no possibility that all citizens take care of all affairs of state. Assemblies Assembly in polyhedra, stadiums, plazas and parks are certainly very convenient to expand democratic consultation, which could correct and controlled lar action of public officials and party members but not replace them. Members of legislative bodies have to deal constantly coughing choice and overview of the direction of society. They represent the plurality of interests, and exercise dialogue and consensus-building potential. Social movements and popular organizations have identities and piecemeal, they are fighting for individual rights. Therefore, the combination of representation and participation ensures complementarity of the particular with the general that explores the quality of democracy and peaceful coexistence cultivated. Construction "other" can not sacrifice democracy to representative democracy. As we settled the Constitution must correct it and reinforce it with various instruments of direct participation. High volume, as recently made to the Police Reform Act, or the so-called "street parliaments", deepen our democracy in the right direction. However, no society with millions of citizens believe that these mechanisms can replace plural representation obtained universal suffrage.
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