Nicolás Maduro presents his proposal for constitutional reform on February 15, 2025, at the Federal Legislative Palace of Venezuela. Photo: Presidential Press.
Guacamaya, February 25, 2025. President Nicolás Maduro has granted a 90-day deadline for the National Commission for Constitutional Reform to present the final version of the proposed changes to the 1999 Constitution. This announcement was made during a meeting with the commission in the Néstor Kirchner Hall of the Miraflores Palace, following an extensive national debate significant for the future political direction of Venezuela.
The president confirmed that the initial documents derived from the popular consultation have already been compiled. He also emphasized the importance of bringing this reform, alongside the people, to the National Assembly for analysis and resolution. Once the final text is presented, the National Electoral Council (CNE) will have 30 days to organize a referendum.
On February 15, Maduro initiated a national dialogue to discuss the central points of the project and appointed a commission composed of figures close to his government. According to the official proposal, this commission is actively promoting, convening, and including all sectors and the people to ensure clarity on the scope of this reform.
The head of state expressed his “surprise” at those actors who previously opposed the 1999 Constitution and, in his view, supported coups d’état but now consider it untouchable. He stated that, “even if hypocritically,” they have come to believe in it.
The president underscored that the current Venezuelan Constitution, created by Hugo Chávez, “is the best in the history of Latin America and the Caribbean” and that they now seek only to “modernize and perfect it hand in hand with the sovereign people of Venezuela.”
Four Working Axes
A day earlier, during his weekly Monday program Con Maduro +, the head of state announced the creation of four commissions to debate and promote the Constitutional Reform in Venezuela. The working axes include the political, economic, and social transformation of Venezuela, as well as the adaptation of the state to new realities, which includes territorial adjustments and measures against potential external and internal threats.
The four commissions are composed of key figures from the Venezuelan state and have specific objectives:
- The Commission for Transformation, Modernization, and Democratic Expansion of Venezuela: Headed by Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, its purpose is to review the conditions of direct and participatory democracy, “with the incorporation of the Communal, Social, and Popular Power,” Maduro stated.
- The Commission on the Principles and Values of the New Society: Chaired by Tarek William Saab, attorney general of the Republic, its aim is to “update the Constitution in legal, constitutional, and political terms,” the president explained.
- The Commission for General Update of Ideas: Led by Cilia Flores, first lady and deputy of the National Assembly, it seeks to “define the parameters, values, and principles to establish a more humane society based on Bolivarianism,” according to Maduro.
- The Commission for the New Economic Model: Directed by Delcy Rodríguez, executive vice president and minister of Hydrocarbons, with the goal of “creating a diversified, non-dependent, and self-sufficient economic model, advancing toward the construction of a new economy,” the head of state emphasized.
