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South America and South Atlantic Islands
Venezuela |
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Last reviewed: 6 November 2009 |
Country information
POLITICS
Political Background
President Chávez's pre-election campaign in 1998 promised radical political reform and an economic 'third way'. On assuming the Presidency, Chávez, as promised, pushed through an ambitious programme of political reform.
His first 18 months in power brought the new 'Bolivarian' Constitution and new unicameral National Assembly. The Constitution strengthened the executive in a number of ways, introducing a six-year Presidential term with the possibility of re-election, an executive Vice President to reduce the administrative burden on the President, the power to dissolve Congress and strengthened Presidential authority over promotions within the Armed Forces. The Constitution established checks on the executive in the form of a Public Ombudsman, a strengthened Judiciary and guarantees on human rights. These aspects have since been subject to significant criticism from opponents of Chávez for failing to be sufficiently independent or function effectively.
In September 2000, President Chávez announced a programme of social-welfare schemes; housing, school building and other public works aimed at 'creating equality, solidarity and justice' in Venezuela. Investment in these 'Social Misiónes' increased substantially in 2003 and 2004 prior to the recall referendum of August 2004, and in 2006 prior to the Presidential elections. Amongst others, there are social programmes to eradicate adult illiteracy, educate the youth who have left the traditional school system, and a large-scale project to set up community health centres (Misión Barrio Adentro).
Recent Political Developments
Despite opposition allegations of fraud, President Chávez survived the recall referendum of August 2004 with close to 60% of votes in his favour. The disparate opposition movement struggled to recover from that setback, withdrawing their candidates from the December 2005 Parliamentary elections in protest against the voting system. Pro-Chávez parties therefore stood unopposed and won 100% of the seats in the Assembly, albeit with a turnout of approximately 25%. The opposition did, however, manage to unite around a single candidate, Manuel Rosales, who stood unsuccessfully against Chávez in the December 2006 Presidential elections, winning 37% of the vote to Chávez's 63%.
Following his election victory President Chávez spoke of pushing forward with his reform programme. Chávez created a new single governing party - Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV) - to be made up of the existing parties that support the President. The President suffered a significant setback at the end of 2007 when the electorate narrowly voted against the Government’s planned reforms of the Constitution in a referendum. Therefore proposals to explicitly make Venezuela a socialist state, end the independence of the Central Bank, allow indefinite Presidential re-election, and change the division of power and responsibility throughout the country, were not incorporated into the Constitution.
Following defeat President Chávez committed his movement to a year of to re-launching and re-examining the course of the Bolivarian revolution. That has involved high levels of public spending, in particular on the Misiónes and the programme of seizing land/buildings deemed to be lying idle. And the Government has continued to speak about empowering the people and pushing power down to a local level, through ideas such as community councils (local decision making bodies with budgetary powers).
On 15 February 2009 Venezuelans voted on a constitutional amendment to allow elected officials to stand for an unlimited number of terms. Venezuela voted by 54.4% to 45.6% to accept the constitutional amendment, thereby enabling Chavez to stand for re-election in 2012. Accepting victory, President Chavez spoke of addressing inefficiency and corruption, and of ‘consolidating the revolution’.
Since February 2009, President Chavez has pursued his programme of changes which have included several new laws such as the Education Law and the Urban Land Law. It remains to be seen what the effect of these laws will be.
Elections
The executive is elected for a six-year term by direct vote and can be re-elected indefinitely following an electorally approved change to the constitution. The current presidential term will end in December 2012. National Assembly elections were held in December 2005 and will not be held again until 2010.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Venezuela is party to the following international human rights treaties:
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
- First and Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
- International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment of Punishment
