We listen to the people, but we also make hard calls when we need to.
In Venezuela, the act of governance is once again being tested against its own ideals: on May 18, interim president Delcy Rodríguez announced a second National Popular Consultation for July 12, extending the right to participate in policy deliberation to 120,000 condominium boards for the first time. The move expands the architecture of grassroots democracy, inviting more Venezuelans to shape the Plan of Seven Transformations through open assembly and collective vote. Yet on the same day, the government deported a former minister under accusations of fraudulent identity, a reminder that the state's capacity for unilateral action exists alongside — and sometimes in tension with — its democratic aspirations.
- Venezuela is widening its circle of civic participation, bringing 120,000 condominium boards into a national consultation process that previously reached only 15,000 neighborhood associations.
- The July 12 vote is designed as a two-stage process — open community assemblies first, formal voting second — framing policy-making as a deliberative act rather than a top-down decree.
- On the very same day the consultation was announced, former minister and envoy Alex Saab was deported, with officials citing fraudulently obtained Venezuelan identity documents as the legal basis.
- Diosdado Cabello invoked Article 271 of the Constitution to justify the expulsion, signaling that the government is willing to move swiftly and publicly against figures once embedded at the highest levels of power.
- The collision of these two announcements — expanded popular voice and swift executive removal — leaves the question of where real authority resides in Venezuela sharply unresolved as July approaches.
On May 18, standing at the Ciudad del Emprendimiento, Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez announced that a second National Popular Consultation would take place on July 12. For the first time, the process will include 120,000 condominium boards alongside the country's existing 15,000 neighborhood associations — a structural expansion of who is formally invited to shape national policy.
The consultation is built around the government's Plan of Seven Transformations. Communities will first convene in open assemblies to debate and develop proposals, then vote on July 12 to formalize them. Rodríguez presented the mechanism as a genuine exercise in democratic participation, a channel through which ordinary Venezuelans could influence the direction of their neighborhoods and the nation.
The announcement, however, arrived alongside a significant political rupture. The same day, the government deported Alex Saab — a Colombian national who had served as a presidential envoy, Peace Commissioner, and most recently as minister of industry and production until January 2026. Rodríguez described the deportation as an administrative matter rooted in Saab's Colombian citizenship. Party secretary Diosdado Cabello went further, stating that Saab had obtained Venezuelan identity documents through fraud, and that an investigation found no legitimate record of his Venezuelan nationality. Cabello cited constitutional provisions permitting the extradition of foreign nationals accused of serious crimes against the public patrimony.
The juxtaposition of the two announcements — a broadening of grassroots democratic mechanisms and a swift, unilateral executive action — captures the central tension in Venezuela's political moment. Whether the expansion to condominium boards represents a deepening of civic voice or a consolidation of political support remains an open question as the July vote draws near.
Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez stood in the Ciudad del Emprendimiento on May 18 and announced plans for a second National Popular Consultation to take place on July 12. The vote will mark the first time that condominium boards—120,000 of them scattered across the country—will participate in the process alongside the existing 15,000 neighborhood associations. It is a structural expansion of who gets a voice in shaping policy.
The consultation will focus on proposals aligned with the government's Plan of Seven Transformations. The process itself is designed to be deliberative: communities will first gather in open assemblies to develop and debate their ideas, then cast votes on July 12 to formalize their choices. Rodríguez framed this as an exercise in democratic participation, a way for ordinary Venezuelans to shape the direction of their own neighborhoods and, by extension, the nation.
The announcement came against a backdrop of significant political movement. On the same day, the government deported Alex Saab, a Colombian national who had served as a special envoy and, most recently, as minister of industry and production until mid-January. Rodríguez characterized the deportation as an administrative matter, emphasizing that Saab held Colombian citizenship and that any decisions made by the executive branch were driven solely by Venezuela's interests. She did not elaborate on the specifics of his departure or the circumstances that prompted it.
Diosdado Cabello, the general secretary of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, provided more detail during his weekly press conference. He stated that Saab had obtained Venezuelan identity documents through fraudulent means, granting him access to government positions he would not otherwise have held. An investigation, Cabello said, found no legitimate record of Saab's Venezuelan nationality in the country's immigration and identification service. The decision to deport him followed from that finding. Cabello cited Article 271 of the Venezuelan Constitution, which permits the extradition of foreign nationals accused of money laundering, drug trafficking, international organized crime, or crimes against the public patrimony of other states.
Saab's tenure in government had been substantial. He served as a presidential envoy on special missions, was designated by the National Assembly as a Peace Commissioner, and held ministerial rank from 2024 until his departure in January 2026. His removal, announced on the same day as the expansion of popular consultation mechanisms, underscores the tension between the government's stated commitment to grassroots participation and the executive's capacity to act unilaterally on matters of state security and personnel.
Rodríguez closed her remarks by calling on Venezuelans to trust that the government's primary concern was the nation's welfare—its peace, development, and the future of its children. She framed the consultation as part of that commitment, a way to ensure that ordinary people had a hand in deciding what comes next. Whether the expansion to condominium boards represents a genuine deepening of democratic voice or a strategic move to consolidate support remains an open question as the July 12 vote approaches.
Notable Quotes
Any decision made by the executive branch will be driven by Venezuela's interests, not any other consideration.— Delcy Rodríguez, interim president
Saab obtained Venezuelan identity documents through fraudulent means and held no legitimate record in the immigration service.— Diosdado Cabello, general secretary of the United Socialist Party
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why expand to condominium boards now, specifically? What changes about the political math?
Condominiums are dense urban spaces—apartment buildings, shared governance structures. You're reaching people who might not be plugged into traditional neighborhood associations. It's a way to touch more households, more directly.
And the timing with Saab's deportation—is that coincidental?
Probably not. You announce something that looks like you're opening the door wider while simultaneously removing someone from power. It's a signal: we listen to the people, but we also make hard calls when we need to.
What was Saab actually doing in government?
He was a fixer. Special envoy, peace commissioner, then minister of industry. He had access and influence. The government says he got there fraudulently, that his identity documents were fake.
Do we know why they deported him now, in January, but announced it in May?
The announcement came after the fact. He was already gone. They're explaining it publicly now, probably because questions were being asked. Cabello's statement is the official accounting.
Does this consultation actually matter, or is it theater?
That depends on whether the government acts on what people propose. The mechanism is real—assemblies, votes, a formal process. Whether those proposals become policy is a different question entirely.