Osviel Castro Medel (Special for Granma)

CARACAS, Venezuela.— THE country’s municipal elections held December 8 - to select 337 mayors, two metropolitan leaders and 2,455 city council members – represented another victory for Venezuelan democracy, as the 19th national vote since Comandante Hugo Chávez was elected in December, 1998.

On a day when more than 19 million citizens were eligible to participate, voting proceeded without street disturbances. The voter turnout was much lower than that of the Presidential elections last April, despite repeated calls by both the Gran Polo Patriótico (GPP) and the Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD) for Venezuelans to exercise their right to vote.

The process raised expectations both within the country and abroad, after the opposition made curious statements to the press, asserting, contrary to all logic, that it had won a "majority" and that this type of election, with no national offices at stake, constituted a "plebiscite" of President Maduro’s administration.

The possibility of destabilizing actions by recalcitrant right-wing forces was not ruled out and Plan República was implemented, with the mobilization of 113,000 soldiers and 43,000 militia members to guarantee the peace. Borders were also closed.

Election Day was described as a victory by many Venezuelan figures, including journalist Ernesto Villegas, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela’s candidate for Greater Caracas metropolitan mayor, who despite losing the race, emphasized that the people "are rejecting violent agendas and reinforcing the Constitution."

Traffic on Election Day was similar to that expected on any other Sunday, without the congestion typical of weekdays, and long lines were reported at only a few of the 13,651 polling stations open across the country, although a significant line of voters was noted at the Miguel Antonio Caro School in the Caracas municipality of Libertador when President Maduro voted at 3:30pm.

Maduro reiterated to Venezuelan and international journalists gathered at the site that, as of that moment, a broad dialogue would begin with all of the newly elected mayors, guided by the national plan, the Plan de la Patria, approved December 3 by the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution.

The President commented that the vote clearly exposed the myth of a "Venezuelan dictatorship" orchestrated by the corporate media and announced a new administration effort he called Government of Efficiency in the Street to interact directly with citizens, beginning in early 2014.

This effort, he reported, will focus on five priorities: continued development of the Barrio Nuevo mission, Barrio Tricolor; maintaining the economic offensive on several fronts; improving the public health system; meeting the population’s potable water needs; and reinforcing citizens’ security.