Chavez’s Constitutional vs. Partisan Power

The two sources of Presidential strength (from Shuggart and Mainwaring) are Constitutional provisions and partisan support. In the case of Venezuela, Chavez’s presidential power has stemmed mainly from his dominating party control and legislative majority. As the Miami Herald reports, “Chavez’s supporters hold 160 of the 167 seats in Congress and 20 of the 24 state governorships. The judicial system, the Central Bank and the military rarely deviate from his line.” Fortunately, Venezuelans rejected expanding Presidential powers (and abolishing term limits) in the December 2nd Constitutional referendum, reflecting a decline in Chavez’s popularity and his ability to promulgate his own agenda.

A critical editorial prior to the referendum by Raúl Isaías Baduel (former Commander-in-chief of the Venezuelan Army until 20 04) exposes many of the faults in Chavez’s political undertakings and reasons why some of his closest supporters now question their allegiance. Isaías ultimately blames the Venezuelan people themselves for being courted by Chavez’s populism. Despite the referendum setback, Chavez has made Venezuela almost a quintessential “delegative democracy” as he dominates the party with personalism, is relatively unaccountable to congress and the judiciary, and becomes the sole person responsible for “his” policies. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/386580.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/opinion/01baduel.html?ex=1354251600&en=d83421c8f2dca455