The Homeland card (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Carnet de la patria'') is a

Venezuelan Venezuelans (Spanish language, Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the Citizenship, citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connect ...

identity document An identity document (abbreviated as ID) is a documentation, document proving a person's Identity (social science), identity. If the identity document is a plastic card it is called an ''identity card'' (abbreviated as ''IC'' or ''ID card''). ...

that includes a unique personalized QR code. It was created in 2016 by the Venezuelan government with the objective of knowing the socioeconomic status of the population and streamlining the system of the

Bolivarian missions The Bolivarian missions are a series of over thirty social programs implemented under the administration of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and continued by Chávez's successor, Nicolás Maduro. The programs focus on helping the mo ...

and that of the local committees of supply and production (CLAP). The document has a digital wallet that is articulated within a state electronic payment system and in which carriers can also receive different monetary bonds from the Venezuelan State. The use of the card has been reported as a possible method of

social control Social control is the regulations, sanctions, mechanisms, and systems that restrict the behaviour of individuals in accordance with social norms and orders. Through both informal and formal means, individuals and groups exercise social con ...

, a policy of

social exclusion Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the Euro ...

as well as coercion and vote buying during the 2017 Venezuelan regional elections, the 2017 Venezuelan municipal elections, the

2018 Venezuelan presidential election Presidential elections were held in Venezuela on 20 May 2018, with incumbent Nicolás Maduro being declared reelected for a second six-year term. The original electoral date was scheduled for December 2018 but was subsequently pulled ahead to ...

and the 2020 parliamentary election.

Creation

It was created on December 18, 2016, when President

Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader serving as the 53rd president of Venezuela since 2013. Previously, he was the 24th Vice President of Venezuela, vice president from 2012 to 20 ...

announced the creation of the Homeland card system in his weekly television program ''Contacto con Maduro''. He also pointed out that the technological platform of the card has been materialized through agreements with

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Then, on January 20, 2017, the first day of registration to acquire the Homeland card began.

Processing

In principle, the acquisition of the Homeland card is free and not mandatory. To process it requires a photo, Venezuelan identity card (

: ''Cédula de identidad'') and information about the existence of health problems, participation in electoral processes and if the person enjoys any of the social missions of the national government.

Controversies

Writer Leonardo Padrón described the card as a "hunger-for-votes exchange", saying: "Give me your signature, take your CLAP ood box" On the other hand, the organization secretary of the Alianza Bravo Pueblo party, Alcides Padilla, criticized the Homeland card, saying that "through this card, the government wants to ration food for Venezuelans." Similarly, the

Communist Party of Venezuela The Communist Party of Venezuela (, PCV) is a communist party in Venezuela. Founded in 1931, it is the oldest active political party in Venezuela, and was the country's main leftist party until it fractured into rival factions in 1971. The P ...

has ensured that the card is a policy of exclusion and that all the inhabitants of the country have constitutional rights that can not be dependent on said document. In August 2018, Venezuelan pensioners protested in front of the main offices of the Venezuelan Institute of Social Security (IVSS), complaining that the requirement of the Homeland Card to collect their pension limited their access. In September 2018, the Secretary General of the

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

, Luis Almagro, said he had received complaints from patients who had been denied

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...

treatment for not having the Homeland card. The

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

news agency has also received complaints from state doctors denying

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the insulin (''INS)'' gene. It is the main Anabolism, anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabol ...

prescriptions to

diabetic Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

patients for not being enrolled in the Homeland card system. Benito Urrea, a 76-year-old diabetic, said a state physician recently denied him an insulin prescription and accused him of being a member of the "right" because he had not enrolled in the card system.

Elections

During the 2017 Venezuelan regional elections, the 2017 Venezuelan municipal elections and the

, there were complaints of the use of the Homeland card as the coercion method of the voter. Reports of

vote buying Vote buying (also referred to as electoral clientelism and patronage politics) occurs when a political party or candidate distributes money or resources to a voter in an upcoming election with the expectation that the voter votes for the actor h ...

were also prevalent during the presidential campaigning. Venezuelans suffering from hunger were pressured to vote for Maduro, with the government bribing potential supporters with food. Maduro promised rewards for citizens who scanned their '' Carnet de la Patria'' at the voting booth, which would allow the government to monitor the political party of their citizens and whether or not they had voted. These prizes were reportedly never delivered.

References

External links

* * {{Bolivarian Venezuela Crisis, state=autocollapse Bolivarian Revolution Identity documents Discrimination in Venezuela 2016 in Venezuela Crisis in Venezuela Social programs 2016 establishments in Venezuela Nicolás Maduro