Homeland card

The Homeland card (Spanish: Carnet de la patria) is a Venezuelan identity document 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 and that of the local committees of supply and production (CLAP).[1]

Obverse of the Homeland card
Reverse of the card, where the QR code position patterns are observed

The document has a digital wallet that is articulated within a state electronic payment system[2] and in which carriers can also receive different monetary bonds from the Venezuelan State.[3][1]

The use of the card has been reported as a possible method of social control, a policy of social exclusion as well as coercion and vote buying during the 2017 Venezuelan regional elections, the 2017 Venezuelan municipal elections, the 2018 Venezuelan presidential election and the 2020 parliamentary election.[4][5][6][7]

Creation

It was created on December 18, 2016, when President Nicolás Maduro 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.[2] Then, on January 20, 2017, the first day of registration to acquire the Homeland card began.[8]

Processing

In principle, the acquisition of the Homeland card is free and not mandatory.[1] To process it requires a photo, Venezuelan identity card (Spanish: 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.[9]

Controversies
"Red points" in Caracas during the 2018 presidential elections

Writer Leonardo Padrón described the card as a "hunger-for-votes exchange", saying: "Give me your signature, take your CLAP [food box]."[10] 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 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.[11]

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.[12]

In September 2018, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, said he had received complaints from patients who had been denied chemotherapy treatment for not having the Homeland card.[13] The Reuters news agency has also received complaints from state doctors denying insulin prescriptions to diabetic patients for not being enrolled in the Homeland card system.[12] 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.[12]

Elections

During the 2017 Venezuelan regional elections, the 2017 Venezuelan municipal elections and the 2018 Venezuelan presidential election, there were complaints of the use of the Homeland card as the coercion method of the voter.[4][5][6]

Reports of vote buying 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.[14] 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
  1. "Qué es y cómo funciona el carnet de la patria que permitirá seguir comprando gasolina a precio subsidiado en Venezuela" (in Spanish). London: BBC. August 14, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  2. "Maduro anuncia Carnet de la Patria para 15 millones de personas". Crónica Uno (in Spanish). Espacio Público. December 18, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  3. "Bonos de ayuda social serán depositados en una "billetera digital"". Gaceta Oficial (in Spanish). Caracas. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  4. "MUD exige "auditoría total, cuantitativa y cualitativa" de todo el proceso electoral". Runrun.es (in Spanish). 17 October 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  5. Pineda, Julett (December 10, 2017). "Sin testigos cerca de 45% de las mesas de votación, según Red de Observación Electoral #10D" (in Spanish). Caracas: Efecto Cocuyo. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  6. Rodríguez, Ronny (May 9, 2018). "Comicios del 20 de mayo no son libres ni imparciales, denuncia el Observatorio Electoral" (in Spanish). Caracas: Efecto Cocuyo. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  7. "Electores denuncian coacción con el carnet de la patria este #6D" (in Spanish). Efecto Cocuyo. 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  8. "Maduro anunció fecha para iniciar registro del Carnet de la patria". El Nacional (in Spanish). Caracas: Iberonews. January 8, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  9. Hernández, Osmary (January 25, 2017). "¿Para qué sirve el Carnet de la Patria en Venezuela?" (in Spanish). Atlanta: CNN. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  10. "La crítica de Leonardo Padrón al "carnet de la patria"". Sumarium (in Spanish). Barcelona: Catalunya Media Group. January 21, 2017. Archived from the original on January 24, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  11. ""Carnet de la patria es una política de exclusión", asegura el PCV" (in Spanish). Caracas: Efecto Cocuyo. January 26, 2017. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  12. Berwick, Angus (November 14, 2018). "How ZTE helps Venezuela create China-style social control". London: Reuters. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  13. "El mensaje de Luis Almagro al régimen de Nicolás Maduro: "Ni me callo ni me voy hasta que la dictadura caiga"" (in Spanish). Infobae. September 16, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  14. "As Trump Adds Sanctions on Venezuela, Its Neighbors Reject Election Result". The New York Times. 21 May 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
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