Through his Twitter account, the ruler expressed that with this step popular participation gave its first breath of life, “sealing one of the most brilliant moments of the Bolivarian Revolution, worthy of being exalted by history.”

On its website, the United Socialist Party (PSUV) stated this process was called in 1999 to start building a new democratic model in Venezuela, characterized by the leading participation of the people.

The pro-government political force recalled that its call for the installation, by referendum, was the first decree signed by Commander Hugo Chávez (1954-2013) as President of the Republic, elected on December 6, 1998.

The PSUV pointed out that the objective of the Constituent Assembly was to draft a new Constitution with the participation of the people, adapt it to the new times and take the approach of the Bolivarian project of independence and justice.

He recalled that on April 25, 1999, the consultation was accepted by 87.75 percent of the people and on August 3 of that year, the first National Constituent Assembly was installed in the main hall of the Central University of Venezuela.

In December 1999 the text was approved by 71.78 percent of Venezuelans and at the end of that month it entered into force.

When speaking on August 5 of that year before the Assembly, the Bolivarian leader stressed that for “the first time a referendum was held in Venezuelan history, a national referendum (which) had never been done before.”

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