2020: The Communist Party Broke with Maduro

The Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) was founded in 1931 and became the Venezuelan affiliate of the Communist International. It is the oldest active political party in Venezuela. The PCV was outlawed during the military dictatorship of Marcos Perez Jimenez (1948-1958), when it played a key role in organizing clandestine resistance to the regime. The PCV was not included in the 1958 political party pact that formed after Perez was ousted. In the early 1960s, the Party launched a guerrilla war against the government but was unable to mobilize substantial support. The majority of PCV members split from the Party in 1971 to enter politics. In the 1980s and early 1990s the PCV became a marginal force in Venezuelan politics.

 In the Presidential elections of 1998 and 2006, the PCV backed Hugo Chavez. In late 2006 Chavez called on all the parties that supported him to dissolve and join together to form one united party, the “United Socialist Party of Venezuela” (PSUV). At a Delegate Congress, the PCV membership voted to not join the PSUV. Their concern was that the PSUV had not yet defined its objectives and it was unclear whether it would be a truly socialist party. The PCV supported Chavez in the 2012 Presidential election. Following Chavez’s death in early 2013, the PCV backed Nicolas Maduro in a special 2013 Presidential election, which Maduro won.

With the fall in oil prices 2014-2016, Venezuela was plunged into serious economic decline with GDP contracting while unemployment, food shortages and inflation increased. The US imposed financial sanctions on Venezuela in 2017 which reduced the availability of funds to manage the crisis. The PCV urged solutions to manage the crisis including nationalizing the banks and food distribution companies and increasing participation of workers in managing industries.[1] The PCV endorsed Maduro for President in 2018 after an eighteen-point agreement was reached between PSUV and PCV. The two parties agreed to promote worker control, to revitalize nationalized industries, to dismantle private monopolies and to support rural campesino collectives.[2]

In 2020, the PCV and the Homeland for All Party (PPT) established a new coalition (the Popular Revolutionary Alternative [APR]) that looked to incorporate trade unions, social movements, communes and campesino organizations in an alliance that did not include the PSUV. The PCV denounced what it claimed was PSUV’s almost complete failure to comply with the 18-point alliance.[3] They did not back PSUV candidates in the 2020 National Assembly elections and launched alternative candidates.

Maduro accused the PCV of being an agent of imperialism.[4] In 2023 the PCV split in half with one faction supporting Maduro in the 2024 Presidential election while the other faction supported Enrique Marquez.




1.Venezuelanalysis, Communists and PPT Seek Revolutionary Alliances for Presidential Elections, February 21, 2018.

2. Venezuelanalysis, PSUV-PCV Unity Agreement to Confront Crisis of Venezuelan Capitalism, March 1, 2018.

3. Venezuelanalysis, Venezuela Parliamentary Elections: PCV & PPT Build ‘Alternative’ Left Alliance, August 10, 2020.

4. Venezuelanalysis, Maduro Accuses Left and Communist Party of Being Agents of Imperialism, February 16, 2021.

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