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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.
The ruling party of Venezuela is the leftist United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). The opposition bloc is comprised by several allied parties, such as "A New Era" (UNT), Primero Justicia ("Justice First"), Accion Democratica (AD), COPEI, MAS, Project Venezuela, and a few others.
Chavez has also established alliances[clarification needed] with several Latin American countries which have elected leftist governments, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Paraguay. Evident in the strong ties it shares with Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras and Nicaragua in the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas .
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History
The Marcos Pérez Jiménez government fell in January 23, 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 two-party 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.[1][2][3]
In 2008, the government expelled the US-based Human Rights Watch.[4]
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."[5]
In 2009, when an opposition mayor was elected in Caracas, the capital, the government gave control of his budget to an appointed official.[6]
Statutes
Venezuela abolished the death penalty in 1863, making it the country where this practice has been outlawed the longest.[7][8]
Elections
1998 presidential election
Hugo Chávez Frias was first elected Venezuelan president in 1998. He took office February 2, 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:
| Candidates | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Hugo Chávez (Fifth Republic Movement) | 7,309,080 | 62.84% |
| Manuel Rosales (A New Era) | 4,292,466 | 36.9% |
| Luis Reyes | 4,807 | 0.04% |
| Venezuela Da Silva | 3,980 | 0.03% |
| Carmelo Romano Pérez | 3,735 | 0.03% |
| Alejandro Suárez | 2,956 | 0.02% |
| Eudes Vera | 2,806 | 0.02% |
| Carolina Contreras | 2,169 | 0.01% |
| Pedro Aranguren | 2,064 | 0.01% |
| José Tineo | 1,502 | 0.01% |
| Yudith Salazar | 1,355 | 0.01% |
| Ángel Yrigoyen | 1,316 | 0.01% |
| Homer Rodríguez | 1,123 | 0% |
| Isbelia León | 793 | 0% |
| Total (Turnout 74.69 %) | 11,790,397 | 100.0 |
| Source: CNE[9]: null votes: 160,245 (1.35% of all votes) | ||
Turnout: 11,729,158 voters (74.75% of the registered to vote), null votes: 159,377 (1.35% of all votes).
2005 parliamentary election
The elections for the National Assembly elections were last held on 30 July, 2005.
| Parties | Votes for List | % | Seats (From list and nominal) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fifth Republic Movement (Movimiento V [Quinta] República) | 2,041,293 | 60.0 | 116 |
| For Social Democracy (Por la Democracia Social) | 277,482 | 8.2 | 18 |
| Fatherland for All (Patria para Todos) | 197,459 | 6.8 | 10 |
| Communist Party of Venezuela (Partido Comunista de Venezuela) | 94,606 | 2.7 | 7 |
| LAGO | 61,789 | 1.8 | 2 |
| Venezuelan Popular Unity (Unidad Popular Venezolana) | 46,232 | 1.4 | 1 |
| Tupamaro | 42,893 | 1.2 | 0 |
| People's Electoral Movement (Movimiento Electoral del Pueblo) | 38,690 | 1.1 | 1 |
| Independents for the National Community (Independientes por la Comunidad Nacional) | 30,041 | 0.8 | 0 |
| Everybody Wins Independent Movement (Movimiento Independiente Ganamos Todos) | 25,710 | 0.8 | 1 |
| MOBARE 200-4F (Mobare 200-4F) | 22,995 | 0.7 | 0 |
| Militant Civic Movement (Movimiento Cívico Militantes) | 21,012 | 0.6 | 0 |
| MIGENTE | 20,482 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Radical Cause (La Causa Radical) | 18,960 | 0.6 | 0 |
| Republican Movement (Movimiento Republicano) | 18,601 | 0.5 | 0 |
| Union for Human Rights (Union por Derechos Humanos) | 18,208 | 0.5 | 0 |
| Only One People (Un Solo Pueblo) | 15,981 | 0.5 | 0 |
| Justice First (Primero Justicia) | 15,939 | 0.5 | 0 |
| MSN | 14,139 | 0.5 | 0 |
| Emergent People (Gente Emergente) | 12,924 | 0.4 | 0 |
| Socialist League (Liga Socialista) | 11,930 | 0.4 | 0 |
| Free True Party (Partido Verdad Libre) | 11,342 | 0.3 | 0 |
| ASIS | 10,515 | 0.3 | 0 |
| United Movement of Indigenous Peoples (Movimiento Unido de Pueblos Indígenas) | 10,493 | 0.3 | 1 |
| UP | 10,515 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Movement for Socialism (Movimiento al Socialismo) | 9,118 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Independent Organized Front for Portuguesa (Frente Independiente Organizado por Portuguesa) | 9,042 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Labor Power (Poder Laboral) | 8,272 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Democratic Action (Acción Democrática) | 8,000 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Active Democracy National Organization (Organización Nacional Democrática Activa) | 7,868 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Agrofishery Action | 7,843 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Popular Force (Fuerza Popular) | 6,885 | 0.2 | 0 |
| COPEI (Copei - Partido Social Cristiano de Venezuela) | 6,730 | 0.2 | 0 |
| MIPN | 6,213 | 0.2 | 0 |
| MIPZ | 6,058 | 0.2 | 0 |
| MIRAG | 5,808 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Project Venezuela (Proyecto Venezuela) | 5,645 | 0.2 | 0 |
| RZ2021 | 5,158 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Patriotic Unity of Carabobo (Unidad Patriótica de Carabobo) | 4,899 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Break Through (Abre Brecha) | 4,599 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Total | 3,398,567
|
167 | |
| Registered Voters | 14,272,964 | - | |
| Votes Cast (% of registered voters) | 3,604,741 | 25,26 | |
| Valid Votes (% of votes cast) | 3,398,567 | 94.28 | |
| Invalid Votes (% of votes cast) | 206,174 | 5.72 | |
| Abstention (% of registered voters) | 10,668,223 | 74.74 | |
| Source regarding number of votes CNE 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 Municipality of Caracas. The opposition block gained five states alongside the Metropolitan District of Caracas.
2009 Electoral Referendum
On February 15, 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.[11]
Notes
- ^ "Historia de Venezuela en Imágenes. Capítulo VIII 1973 /1983. La Gran Venezuela". La experiencia democrática 1958 / 1998. Fundación Polar. http://www.fpolar.org.ve/Encarte/fasciculo24/fasc2402.html. Retrieved 2007-01-21.(Spanish)
- ^ "El tema: Historia democrática venezolana". Globovisión. 2006-11-28. http://www.globovision.com/news.php?nid=43974. Retrieved 2007-01-21.(Spanish)
- ^ "Ramón José Velásquez Mújica". Centro de Investigación de Relaciones Internacionales y desarrollo. 2006-09-21. http://www.cidob.org/es/documentacion/biografias_lideres_politicos/america_del_sur/venezuela/ramon_jose_velasquez_mujica. Retrieved 2007-01-21.(Spanish)
- ^ Reuters News retrieved September 22, 2009
- ^ The Tablet, "Bishop faces down threats from ruling party." 25 April 2009, page 38
- ^ [1]
- ^ Amnesty International USA. Abolitionist and Retentionist Countries. Retrieved 19 August 2006
- ^ The Death Penalty Worldwide. InfoPlease. Retrieved 19 August 2006.
- ^ "Elección presidencial". CNE. 2007. http://www.cne.gob.ve/divulgacionPresidencial/resultado_nacional.php. Retrieved 2007-10-14.(Spanish)
- ^ "Resultados Electorales". Consejo Nacional Electoral. 2006-12-04. http://www.cne.gov.ve/divulgacionPresidencial/resultado_nacional.php. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7891856.stm
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