Grassroots democracy feels the strain in Venezuela

[Zorro]

Every Tuesday night in the little mountain village of Monte Carmelo, in Lara state in western Venezuela, people crowd into the community hall.

Toddlers sit on their mothers' laps. A gaggle of older children play on the pavement outside while latecomers stand at the doorways listening.

This is a community council, where topics of discussion can range from national coffee prices to complaints about a farmer who lets his cows wander into the road.

There are more than 30,000 community councils in Venezuela, according to government figures.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35882263

[99th_Monkey]

1. I wish the Venezuelan people the very best,

They've certainly been through a lot.