For Social Democracy Explained

Country:Venezuela
Native Name:Por la Democracia Social
For Social Democracy
Abbreviation:PODEMOS
Split:Movement for Socialism
Position:Centre-left to left-wing
Headquarters:Caracas
National:Great Patriotic Pole
Regional:COPPPAL
Seats1 Title:Seats in the Latin American Parliament
Seats2 Title:Seats in the National Assembly
Seats3 Title:Governors of States of Venezuela
Seats4 Title:Mayors
Website:https://twitter.com/PartidoPODEMOS

For Social Democracy, (Spanish; Castilian: link=no|Por la Democracia Social) or abbreviation PODEMOS, (Spanish; Castilian: link=no|We can) is a political party in Venezuela. In the 2005 legislative elections the party won 15 out of 165 seats in the National Assembly.

History

The party is led by Ismael García and Didalco Bolívar. It once supported president Hugo Chávez, but refused to join the new United Socialist Party (PSUV) created by the president in 2007, and opposed Chávez's proposals in the 2007 constitutional referendum. Since then, it broke with Chávez and became the only opposition voice in the Parliament. Hugo Chávez accused García of "raising the flags of the right."[1]

PODEMOS is a member of COPPPAL,[2] and used to be a consultative member of Socialist International.[3]

In 2012, the party split and the anti-Chávez faction supporting Ismael García joined the anti-Chávez faction of Fatherland for All, creating Progressive Advance, a centre-left party in opposition to the government. The leadership of PODEMOS was then taken by the pro-Chávez Didalco Bolívar. Under Bolívar's leadership, the party left the Democratic Unity Roundtable and joined the PSUV-led Great Patriotic Pole.

The party's youth wing is called the Unión de Jovenes Podemos.

Notes

  1. http://www.aporrea.org/actualidad/n91476.html Presidente Chávez: dirigentes vacilantes deben explicar al pueblo razones para no adherirse al PSUV
  2. COPPPAL, Partidos Miembros, accessed 10 June 2012
  3. [Socialist International]