Politics of Venezuela
Encyclopedia
|
The politics of Venezuela
occurs in a framework explained in Government of Venezuela
.
There are currently two major blocs of political parties in Venezuela: the incumbent leftist bloc United Socialist Party of Venezuela
(PSUV), its major allies Fatherland for All (PPT) and the Communist Party of Venezuela
(PCV), and the opposition bloc led by A New Era
(UNT) together with its allied parties Project Venezuela
, Justice First
, Movement for Socialism (Venezuela)
and others. Following the fall of Marcos Pérez Jiménez
in 1958, Venezuelan politics was dominated by the third-way
Christian democratic
COPEI
and the center-left social democratic
Democratic Action
(AD) parties; this two-party system
was formalized by the puntofijismo arrangement. However, this system has been sidelined following the initial 1998 election
of current president Hugo Chávez
, which started the Bolivarian Revolution
.
Chavez has also established alliances with several Latin American countries which have elected leftist governments, such as Argentina
, Bolivia
, Brazil
, Ecuador
, Guatemala
, and Paraguay
. Evident in the strong ties it shares with Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras and Nicaragua in the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas
.
government fell in 23 January 1958, ending the last dictatorship of the 20th century in Venezuela and spawning a democratic
period. The country adopted a new constitution in 1961. Two political parties prevailed during the following decades: the social democratic Democratic Action
(AD) and the Christian democratic COPEI
during the period known as the fourth republic. This system came to an end during the 1998 election
when current president Hugo Chávez
won thus beginning the fifth Republic and the left-wing Bolivarian Revolution
.
Most of the political opposition boycotted the 2005 parliamentary election
. Consequently, the MVR-led bloc secured all 167 seats in the National Assembly. Then, the MVR voted to dissolve itself in favor of joining the proposed United Socialist Party of Venezuela
, while Chávez requested that MVR-allied parties merge themselves into it as well. The National Assembly has twice voted to grant Chávez the ability rule by decree
in several broadly defined areas, once in 2000 and again in 2007. This power has been granted to previous administrations as well.
In 2008, the government expelled the US-based Human Rights Watch
, which was criticizing the government Human rights
record.
There is a history of tension between church and state in the country. The Catholic Church has accused Chavez of concentrating power in his own hands. In its 2009 Easter address to the nation, the bishops said the country's democracy was in "serious danger of collapse."
In 2009, when an opposition mayor was elected in Caracas, the capital, the government gave control of his budget to an appointed official.
in 1863, making it the country where this practice has been outlawed the longest.
was first elected Venezuelan president in 1998. He took office 2 February 1999.
Turnout: 11,729,158 voters (74.75% of the registered to vote), null votes: 159,377 (1.35% of all votes).
Source: CNE
elections were last held on 4 December 2005.
The majority of anti-Chavez parties boycotted the election. The parties gaining more than two seats were (parties not listed gained a total of 10 seats, see Venezuelan parliamentary election, 2005
):
National Assembly of Venezuela election results
|-
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left|Parties
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Votes for List
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|%
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Seats (From list and nominal)
|-
|align=left|Fifth Republic Movement
(Movimiento V [Quinta] República)
|align="right" |2,041,293
|align="right" |60.0
|align="right" |116
|-
|align=left|For Social Democracy
(Por la Democracia Social)
|align="right"|277,482
|align="right"|8.2
|align="right"|18
|-
|align=left|Fatherland for All (Patria para Todos)
|align="right" |197,459
|align="right" |6.8
|align="right" |10
|-
|align=left|Communist Party of Venezuela
(Partido Comunista de Venezuela)
|align="right" |94,606
|align="right" |2.7
|align="right" |7
|- -->
|align=left| Registered Voters
|align="right" |14,272,964
|align="right" | -
|
|-
|align=left| Votes Cast (% of registered voters)
|align="right" |3,604,741
|align="right" | 25.26
|-
|align=left| Valid Votes (% of votes cast)
|align="right" |3,398,567
|align="right" |94.28
|-
|align=left| Invalid Votes (% of votes cast)
|align="right" |206,174
|align="right" |5.72
|-
|align=left| Abstention (% of registered voters)
|align="right" |10,668,223
|align="right" |74.74
|-
|align=left colspan=4|Source regarding number of votes CNE
site and seats from National Assembly's one.
|}
of Caracas. The opposition block gained five states alongside the Metropolitan District of Caracas.
The politics of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
occurs in a framework explained in Government of Venezuela
Government of Venezuela
|Venezuela is a federal presidential republic governed by a constitution. There are five branches of government: Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Citizen, and Electoral....
.
There are currently two major blocs of political parties in Venezuela: the incumbent leftist bloc United Socialist Party of Venezuela
United Socialist Party of Venezuela
The United Socialist Party of Venezuela is the name of a democratic socialist political party in Venezuela which resulted from the fusion of some of the political and social forces that support the Bolivarian Revolution led by incumbent President Hugo Chávez...
(PSUV), its major allies Fatherland for All (PPT) and the Communist Party of Venezuela
Communist Party of Venezuela
The Communist Party of Venezuela is a Marxist-Leninist political party, and the oldest continuously existing party in Venezuela...
(PCV), and the opposition bloc led by A New Era
A New Era
A New Era is a centrist political party of Venezuela arising from the Third Way tradition. It is the largest party in Venezuela's fractured opposition, earning 11% of the vote in the 2008 gubernatorial elections...
(UNT) together with its allied parties Project Venezuela
Project Venezuela
Project Venezuela is a political party in Venezuela.At the legislative elections, 30 July 2000, the party won 7 out of 165 seats in the National Assembly of Venezuela. The legislative elections of 2006 were boycotted by the party...
, Justice First
Justice First
Justice First Movement is a centrist political party in Venezuela.-History:Primero Justicia was created in 1992 as a Civil Association by a group of university students who were concerned about what they saw as a deterioration of judicial power in the country and joined their efforts to...
, Movement for Socialism (Venezuela)
Movement for Socialism (Venezuela)
Movement for Socialism is a center-left political party in Venezuela.-History:The Movement for Socialism is a social-democratic political party in Venezuela. MAS was founded in 1971 by a faction of the Communist Party of Venezuela, with a view to emphasising a socialist message...
and others. Following the fall of Marcos Pérez Jiménez
Marcos Pérez Jiménez
Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was a soldier and Presidents of Venezuela from 1952 to 1958.-Career:Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was born in Michelena, Táchira State. His father, Juan Pérez Bustamante, was a farmer; his mother, Adela Jiménez, a schoolteacher...
in 1958, Venezuelan politics was dominated by the third-way
Third way (centrism)
The Third Way refers to various political positions which try to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies. Third Way approaches are commonly viewed from within the first- and second-way perspectives as...
Christian democratic
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
COPEI
COPEI
Copei – Social Christian Party of Venezuela is a third way political party in Venezuela. The name stands for Comité de Organización Política Electoral Independiente...
and the center-left social democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
Democratic Action
Democratic Action
Democratic Action is a centrist Venezuelan political party established in 1941. The party and its antecedents played an important role in the early years of Venezuelan democracy, and led the government during Venezuela's first democratic period...
(AD) parties; this two-party system
Two-party system
A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and, as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties...
was formalized by the puntofijismo arrangement. However, this system has been sidelined following the initial 1998 election
Venezuelan presidential election, 1998
In the Venezuelan presidential election of 1998, Hugo Chávez was elected to his first term as President of Venezuela with the largest percentage of the popular vote in four decades...
of current president Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
, which started the Bolivarian Revolution
Bolivarian Revolution
The “Bolivarian Revolution” refers to a leftist social movement and political process in Venezuela led by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, the founder of the Fifth Republic Movement...
.
Chavez has also established alliances with several Latin American countries which have elected leftist governments, such as Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. Evident in the strong ties it shares with Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras and Nicaragua in the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas
Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas
The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America is an international cooperation organization based on the idea of social, political, and economic integration between the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean...
.
History
The Marcos Pérez JiménezMarcos Pérez Jiménez
Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was a soldier and Presidents of Venezuela from 1952 to 1958.-Career:Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was born in Michelena, Táchira State. His father, Juan Pérez Bustamante, was a farmer; his mother, Adela Jiménez, a schoolteacher...
government fell in 23 January 1958, ending the last dictatorship of the 20th century in Venezuela and spawning a democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
period. The country adopted a new constitution in 1961. Two political parties prevailed during the following decades: the social democratic Democratic Action
Democratic Action
Democratic Action is a centrist Venezuelan political party established in 1941. The party and its antecedents played an important role in the early years of Venezuelan democracy, and led the government during Venezuela's first democratic period...
(AD) and the Christian democratic COPEI
COPEI
Copei – Social Christian Party of Venezuela is a third way political party in Venezuela. The name stands for Comité de Organización Política Electoral Independiente...
during the period known as the fourth republic. This system came to an end during the 1998 election
Venezuelan presidential election, 1998
In the Venezuelan presidential election of 1998, Hugo Chávez was elected to his first term as President of Venezuela with the largest percentage of the popular vote in four decades...
when current president Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
won thus beginning the fifth Republic and the left-wing Bolivarian Revolution
Bolivarian Revolution
The “Bolivarian Revolution” refers to a leftist social movement and political process in Venezuela led by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, the founder of the Fifth Republic Movement...
.
Most of the political opposition boycotted the 2005 parliamentary election
Venezuelan parliamentary election, 2005
The 2005 Venezuela parliamentary election took place on 4 December 2005. The election sent 167 deputies to the National Assembly of Venezuela, 12 deputies to the Latin American Parliament and 5 deputies to the Andean Parliament...
. Consequently, the MVR-led bloc secured all 167 seats in the National Assembly. Then, the MVR voted to dissolve itself in favor of joining the proposed United Socialist Party of Venezuela
United Socialist Party of Venezuela
The United Socialist Party of Venezuela is the name of a democratic socialist political party in Venezuela which resulted from the fusion of some of the political and social forces that support the Bolivarian Revolution led by incumbent President Hugo Chávez...
, while Chávez requested that MVR-allied parties merge themselves into it as well. The National Assembly has twice voted to grant Chávez the ability rule by decree
Rule by decree
Rule by decree is a style of governance allowing quick, unchallenged creation of law by a single person or group, and is used primarily by dictators and absolute monarchs, although philosophers such as Giorgio Agamben have argued that it has been generalized since World War I in all modern states,...
in several broadly defined areas, once in 2000 and again in 2007. This power has been granted to previous administrations as well.
In 2008, the government expelled the US-based Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, which was criticizing the government Human rights
Human rights in Venezuela
The Venezuelan Government has been the subject of criticism from human rights advocates. Human rights organizations have expressed concern about widespread attacks against journalists, harassment of human rights defenders and poor prison conditions...
record.
There is a history of tension between church and state in the country. The Catholic Church has accused Chavez of concentrating power in his own hands. In its 2009 Easter address to the nation, the bishops said the country's democracy was in "serious danger of collapse."
In 2009, when an opposition mayor was elected in Caracas, the capital, the government gave control of his budget to an appointed official.
Statutes
Venezuela abolished the death penaltyCapital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in 1863, making it the country where this practice has been outlawed the longest.
1998 presidential election
Hugo Chávez FriasHugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
was first elected Venezuelan president in 1998. He took office 2 February 1999.
2006 presidential election
With 32,472 electoral tally sheets processed (98.29%), the 12 December 2006 partial report from the CNE showed the following results:Turnout: 11,729,158 voters (74.75% of the registered to vote), null votes: 159,377 (1.35% of all votes).
Source: CNE
National Electoral Council (Venezuela)
The National Electoral Council is one of the five independent branches of government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. It is the institution that oversees and guarantees the transparency of all elections and referendums in Venezuela at the local, regional, and national levels...
2005 parliamentary election
The elections for the National AssemblyNational Assembly of Venezuela
The National Assembly is the legislative branch of the Venezuelan government. It is a unicameral body made up of a variable number of members, who are elected by "universal, direct, personal, and secret" vote partly by direct election in state-based voting districts, and partly on a state-based...
elections were last held on 4 December 2005.
The majority of anti-Chavez parties boycotted the election. The parties gaining more than two seats were (parties not listed gained a total of 10 seats, see Venezuelan parliamentary election, 2005
Venezuelan parliamentary election, 2005
The 2005 Venezuela parliamentary election took place on 4 December 2005. The election sent 167 deputies to the National Assembly of Venezuela, 12 deputies to the Latin American Parliament and 5 deputies to the Andean Parliament...
):
National Assembly of Venezuela election results
|-
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left|Parties
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Votes for List
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|%
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Seats (From list and nominal)
|-
|align=left|Fifth Republic Movement
Fifth Republic Movement
The Fifth Republic Movement was a left-wing, Socialist political party in Venezuela. It was founded in July 1997, following a national congress of the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200, to support the candidacy of Hugo Chávez, the current President of Venezuela, in the Venezuelan presidential...
(Movimiento V [Quinta] República)
|align="right" |2,041,293
|align="right" |60.0
|align="right" |116
|-
|align=left|For Social Democracy
For Social Democracy
PODEMOS is a political party in Venezuela. In the 2005 legislative elections the party won 15 out of 165 seats in the National Assembly....
(Por la Democracia Social)
|align="right"|277,482
|align="right"|8.2
|align="right"|18
|-
|align=left|Fatherland for All (Patria para Todos)
|align="right" |197,459
|align="right" |6.8
|align="right" |10
|-
|align=left|Communist Party of Venezuela
Communist Party of Venezuela
The Communist Party of Venezuela is a Marxist-Leninist political party, and the oldest continuously existing party in Venezuela...
(Partido Comunista de Venezuela)
|align="right" |94,606
|align="right" |2.7
|align="right" |7
|- -->
|align=left| Registered Voters
|align="right" |14,272,964
|align="right" | -
|
|-
|align=left| Votes Cast (% of registered voters)
|align="right" |3,604,741
|align="right" | 25.26
|-
|align=left| Valid Votes (% of votes cast)
|align="right" |3,398,567
|align="right" |94.28
|-
|align=left| Invalid Votes (% of votes cast)
|align="right" |206,174
|align="right" |5.72
|-
|align=left| Abstention (% of registered voters)
|align="right" |10,668,223
|align="right" |74.74
|-
|align=left colspan=4|Source regarding number of votes CNE
National Electoral Council (Venezuela)
The National Electoral Council is one of the five independent branches of government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. It is the institution that oversees and guarantees the transparency of all elections and referendums in Venezuela at the local, regional, and national levels...
site and seats from National Assembly's one.
|}
2008 regional elections
On 23 November 2008 the ruling political party, PSUV, won the elections in 18 out of the 23 states and over 80% of the municipalities, including the Libertador MunicipalityLibertador Municipality
Libertador Municipality may refer to the following places in the Venezuela:*Libertador Bolivarian Municipality, in the Venezuelan Capital District*Libertador Municipality, Aragua*Libertador Municipality, Carabobo*Libertador Municipality, Mérida...
of Caracas. The opposition block gained five states alongside the Metropolitan District of Caracas.
2009 Electoral Referendum
On 15 February 2009 a referendum lifting term limits for the President, governors, mayors and deputies was approved by 55% of the electorate in which the 70% of registered voters participated.See also
- Human rights in VenezuelaHuman rights in VenezuelaThe Venezuelan Government has been the subject of criticism from human rights advocates. Human rights organizations have expressed concern about widespread attacks against journalists, harassment of human rights defenders and poor prison conditions...
- ChavismoChavismoChavismo is the name given to the left-wing political ideology based on the ideas, programs and government style associated with the present president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez. Chavista is a term to describe strong supporters of Chavez, which is closely associated with support for...