PRESIDENT Nicolas Maduro opened his United Socialist Party (PSUV) congress at the weekend, urging hundreds of delegates to speak freely.

“This is a live congress that seeks debate. It does not avoid criticism and opinion because this revolution, that was born thanks to Chavez, lives on criticism from the people and from internal revision,” he declared.

The congress elected Mr Maduro as party president while designating his late predecessor Hugo Chavez as eternal leader.

“The third congress will permit us to unify the party in order to continue with the revolution,” he said.

“Venezuela is admired from the four corners of the planet because of this historic and heroic feat of constructing a socialist model for the 21st century.”

President Maduro declared that this congress would be “unforgettable for the future of the fatherland.”

He continued: “All of us together have to be Chavez. We must not fail the giant. We are his heirs.”

The conference, which ends on Thursday, brings together 985 delegates, officials and visitors, of whom 537 were recently elected directly by PSUV local bodies to represent its 7.6 million members.

It is faced with a list of proposals designed to renew Venezuela’s revolutionary process and help consolidate the programme of social change initiated by Hugo Chavez in 1999.

National Assembly president Diosdado Cabello said that the congress would consolidate the party, which was founded in 2008 at Mr Chavez’s call.

“This is a revolutionary country. The right thinks they will return to power in this country. No! They won’t come back,” said Mr Cabello.