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119-743: According to the Article 46 of the organic law establishing the Militia, its functions are: The General Command of the National Militia is divided in three branches of its own plus a fourth branch divided into the first two: Today the General Command of the National Militia is organized on the basis of nine Reserve brigades, present throughout the national territory, dozen Special Resistance Corps (grouped around workers contingents of state and private sector enterprises and national institutions at all levels) plus

238-488: A 7 February 2017 meeting which announced the creation of the Great Socialist Justice Mission which had the goal of establishing "a great alliance between the three powers, the judiciary, the citizen and the executive", with Maduro stating that "we have been fortunate to see how the judicial power has been growing and perfecting, carrying a doctrine so complete with the constitution of 1999" while stating that

357-583: A constitutional lawyer, the Venezuelan opposition should name new directors of Venezuela's branches of government in order to establish a parallel government and to further pursue corrupt individuals, however noting that the Bolivarian government may attempt to jail opposition leaders. Hugo Ch%C3%A1vez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías ( / ˈ tʃ ɑː v ɛ z / ; Spanish: [ˈuɣo rafaˈel ˈtʃaβes ˈfɾi.as] ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013)

476-537: A copy of the 1999 Constitution that the TSJ's ruling was a "rupture of constitutional order" and that it was her "duty to inform my country of my deep concern over these events," with her audience responding with a lengthy applause. Borges, the Assembly President, stated that officials should follow Ortega's example and called on the military "to obey the orders of your conscience." Meanwhile, protesters were repressed by

595-561: A deadline to the Government. I tell the coward who is in Miraflores ... that on 3 November the Venezuelan people are coming to Caracas because we are going to Miraflores". Days later on 1 November 2016, then National Assembly President and opposition leader Henry Ramos Allup announced the cancellation of 3 November march to the Miraflores presidential palace, with Vatican-led dialogue between

714-658: A democracy into a dictatorship by centralising power amongst its supporters in the Constituent Assembly and granting Chávez increasingly autocratic powers. Many of them pointed to Chávez's personal friendship with Cuba's Fidel Castro and the one-party socialist government in Cuba as a sign of where the Bolivarian government was taking Venezuela. Chávez sought to make PDVSA his main source of funds for political projects and replaced oil experts with political allies in order to support him with this initiative. In early-2002, he placed

833-451: A direct government arm whose profits would be injected into social spending. The result of this was the creation of " Bolivarian Missions ", oil funded social programs targeting poverty, literacy, hunger, and more. In 2001, the government introduced a new Hydrocarbons Law through which it sought to gain greater state control over the oil industry. The law increased the transnational companies taxation in oil extraction activities to 30% and set

952-517: A leftist professor as the president of PDVSA. In April 2002, Chávez appointed his allies to head the PDVSA and replaced the company's board of directors with loyalists who had "little or no experience in the oil industry", mocking the PDVSA executives on television as he fired them. Anger with Chávez's decisions led to civil unrest in Venezuela, which culminated in an attempted coup. On 11 April 2002, during

1071-514: A march headed to the presidential palace , nineteen people were killed, and over 110 were wounded. Chávez believed that the best way to stay in power was to implement Plan Ávila . Military officers, including General Raúl Baduel , a founder of Chávez's MBR-200 , then decided that they had to pull support from Chávez to deter a massacre and shortly after at 8:00 pm, Vásquez Velasco, together with other ranking army officers, declared that Chávez had lost his support. Chávez agreed to be detained and

1190-652: A middle-class family in Sabaneta, Barinas , Chávez became a career military officer. After becoming dissatisfied with the Venezuelan political system based on the Puntofijo Pact , he founded the clandestine Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 (MBR-200) in the early 1980s. Chávez led the MBR-200 in its unsuccessful coup d'état against the Democratic Action government of President Carlos Andrés Pérez in 1992, for which he

1309-482: A modest three-room house located in the rural village Sabaneta , Barinas State . The Chávez family were of Amerindian , Afro-Venezuelan , Spanish and Italian descent. His parents, Hugo de los Reyes Chávez – described as a proud COPEI member – and Elena Frías de Chávez , were schoolteachers who lived in the small village of Los Rastrojos. Hugo was born the second of seven children. Chávez's childhood of supposed poverty has been disputed as he possibly changed

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1428-489: A number of Super Tucano light attack and training planes from Brazil. Troop numbers were also increased. Chávez faced a two-month management strike at the PDVSA. The Chávez government's response was to fire about 19,000 striking employees for abandoning their posts and then employing retired workers, foreign contractors, and the military to do their jobs instead. The total firing of tens of thousands of employees by Chávez would forever damage Venezuela's oil industry due to

1547-541: A private capacity, where he announced plans to supply cheap Venezuelan oil to poor working class communities in the continent. The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone welcomed him, describing him as "the best news out of Latin America in many years." In the presidential election of December 2006 , which saw a 77% voter turnout, Chávez was once more elected, this time with 63% of the vote, beating his closest challenger Manuel Rosales . The Organization of American States (OAS) and

1666-403: A public referendum, which he hoped would support his plans to form a constituent assembly of representatives from across Venezuela and from indigenous tribal groups to rewrite the Venezuelan constitution. Chávez said he had to run again; "Venezuela's socialist revolution was like an unfinished painting and he was the artist", he said, while someone else "could have another vision, start to alter

1785-459: A reaction to "coup-like actions" allegedly performed by the opposition. On 1 April 2017, the TSJ partially reversed its decision, thereby reinstating the powers of the National Assembly. Public dissatisfaction with the decision persisted however, with the strengthening of the protests that year "into the most combative since a wave of unrest in 2014" resulting from the crisis. Following

1904-597: A result of that election, the lame duck National Assembly consisting of United Socialist officials filled the Venezuelan Supreme Court with allies. Into early 2016, the Supreme Court alleged that voting irregularities occurred in the 2015 Parliamentary Elections and stripped four Assembly members of their seats, preventing an opposition supermajority in the National Assembly which would be able to challenge President Maduro. The Assembly nevertheless swore in 3 of

2023-484: A small group of rebels found themselves hiding in the Military Museum, unable to communicate with other members of their team. Pérez managed to escape Miraflores Palace . Officially, thirty-two civilians, police officers and soldiers were killed, and fifty soldiers and some eighty civilians injured during the ensuing violence. Chávez gave himself up to the government and appeared on television, in uniform, to call on

2142-473: A soldier interested in liberation theology , also joined MBR-200. After some time, some senior military officers became suspicious of Chávez and reassigned him so that he would not be able to gain any more fresh new recruits from the academy. He was sent to take command of the remote barracks at Elorza in Apure State . In 1989, Carlos Andrés Pérez was elected president, and though he had promised to oppose

2261-707: A visit to the United States in 1999, he rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange . His administration held formal talks with the International Monetary Fund until oil prices rose enough to let the government rule out the need for any financial assistance. Beginning 27 February 1999, the tenth anniversary of the Caracazo , Chávez set into motion a social welfare program called Plan Bolívar 2000 . He said he had allotted $ 20.8 million for

2380-654: A wide variety of other topics, and to do so civilian professors were brought in from other universities to give lectures to the military cadets. Living in Caracas, he began to get involved in activities outside of the military school, playing baseball and softball with the Criollitos de Venezuela team, progressing with them to the Venezuelan National Baseball Championships. He also wrote poetry, fiction, and drama, and painted. He also became interested in

2499-520: A year later, charged with malfeasance and misappropriating funds. While Chávez and the other senior members of the MBR-200 were in prison, his relationship with Herma Marksman broke up in July 1993. In 1994, Rafael Caldera (1916–2009) of the centrist National Convergence Party who allegedly had knowledge of the coup was elected president and soon afterward he freed Chávez and the other imprisoned MBR-200 members, though Caldera banned them from returning to

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2618-466: Is a constitutional exit to the political situation that the country is living, in order to foster dialogue and coexistence of the country". The next day on 23 May, Danilo Antonio Mojica Monsalvo, the magistrate of the Social Cassation Chamber of the TSJ announced his disagreement with President Maduro's Constitutional Assembly, stating that without a popular referendum voting on the assembly,

2737-490: Is a project of a twenty to forty year horizon, a sovereign economic model". Travelling around Latin America in search of foreign support for his Bolivarian movement, he visited Argentina , Uruguay , Chile , Colombia , and Cuba , where he met Castro and became friends with him. According to journalist Patricia Poleo , during his stay in Colombia, he spent six months receiving guerrilla training and establishing contacts with

2856-508: Is preparing forces to wage a war, and said "let the world see who wants elections and who tries to impose himself by force". Protesters may be tried under military justice , instead of civil courts. The constitution of Venezuela limits the scope of the military courts to crimes of a military nature. On 20 June 2017, President of the National Assembly Julio Borges , the opposition-led legislative body of Venezuela, announced

2975-585: The Partido Comunista Venezolano (Venezeuelan Communist Party) and the Movimiento al Socialismo (Movement for Socialism). Chávez received support from different sectors: the lower class felt identified with Chávez, that he cared about their needs and would offer a solution to their problems; part of the middle class also supported, feeling frustrated with corruption and wishing for a strong-handed government; Chávez also received support from members of

3094-554: The 11 September attacks against the U.S. by Islamist militants. In late 2001, Chávez showed pictures on his television show of children said to be killed in a bombing attack. He commented that "They are not to blame for the terrorism of Osama bin Laden or anyone else", called on the American government to end "the massacre of the innocents", and describing the war as "fighting terrorism with terrorism." The U.S. government responded negatively to

3213-446: The 1998 presidential election . Chávez went on a tour around the country. On his tours, he met Marisabel Rodríguez , who would give birth to their daughter shortly before becoming his second wife in 1997. At the start of the election run-up, front runner Irene Sáez was backed by one of Venezuela's two primary political parties, Copei . Chávez's revolutionary rhetoric gained him support from Patria Para Todos (Homeland for All),

3332-524: The 2012 Venezuelan presidential election with 55.1% of the vote, he was to be sworn in on 10 January 2013. However, the inauguration was cancelled due to his cancer treatment , and on 5 March at age 58, he died in Caracas . Following the adoption of the 1999 Venezuelan Constitution , Chávez focused on enacting social reforms as part of the Bolivarian Revolution . Using record-high oil revenues of

3451-587: The International Monetary Fund 's policies, once he got into office he enacted economic policies supported by the IMF, angering the public. In an attempt to stop widespread lootings and protests that followed his spending cuts, known as El Caracazo , Pérez initiated Plan Ávila , a military contingency plan by the Venezuelan Army to maintain public order, and an outbreak of violent repression unfolded. Though members of Chávez's MBR-200 movement allegedly participated in

3570-679: The National Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services and made Hernán Grüber Ódreman  [ es ] , one of the 1992 coup leaders, governor of the Federal District of Caracas. His critics referred to these government officials as the " Boliburguesía " or "Bolivarian bourgeoisie", and highlighted that it "included few people with experience in public administration". The number of his immediate family members in Venezuelan politics also led to accusations of nepotism . Chávez appointed businessman Roberto Mandini president of

3689-534: The National Electoral Council (CNE) on 2 May 2016. By August 2016, the momentum to recall President Maduro appeared to be progressing, with the Council setting a date for the second phase of collecting signatures, though it made the schedule strenuous, stretching the process into 2017 which made it impossible for the opposition to activate new Presidential Elections. On 21 October 2016, the Council suspended

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3808-565: The Organization of American States . Resolving the interpretation requested of Article 33 of the current Organic Hydrocarbons Law, the Chamber decides that the National Assembly, acting de facto, can not modify the proposed conditions or seek to establish other conditions. On the basis of a state of emergency, the Head of State may amend the rule to be interpreted by means of a reform, in accordance with

3927-580: The Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) of Venezuela took over legislative powers of the National Assembly . The Tribunal, mainly supporters of President Nicolás Maduro , also restricted the immunity granted to the Assembly's members, who mostly belonged to the opposition . The dissolution was considered by the opposition to be a "coup" while the Organization of American States (OAS) termed

4046-652: The democratic socialism , which he wanted to promote in Latin America, from the Marxist–Leninist socialism that had been spread by socialist states like the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China during the 20th century, arguing that the latter had not been truly democratic, suffering from a lack of participatory democracy and an excessively authoritarian governmental structure. In May 2006, Chávez visited Europe in

4165-580: The 1999 Constitution with the Supreme Tribunal of Justice. The constituent assembly put together a new constitution , which was voted on at a referendum in December 1999. Seventy-two percent of those who voted approved of the new constitution. There was a low turnout and an abstention vote of over 50%. The new constitution provided protections for the environment and indigenous people, socioeconomic guarantees and state benefits, while giving greater powers to

4284-587: The 2000s, his government nationalized key industries, created participatory democratic Communal Councils and implemented social programs known as the Bolivarian missions to expand access to food, housing, healthcare and education. While these initiatives led to temporary improvements in poverty reduction and social welfare during periods of high oil revenue, their reliance on state control and centralized planning exposed significant structural weaknesses as oil prices declined. The high oil profits coinciding with

4403-449: The 21st century, Venezuela was the world's fifth largest exporter of crude oil , with oil accounting for 85% of the country's exports, therefore dominating the country's economy. Before the election of Chávez, the state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) ran autonomously, making oil decisions based on internal guidance to increase profits. Once he came to power, Chávez started directing PDVSA and effectively turned it into

4522-532: The Chávez administration tried to implement educational reforms through the proposed Resolution 259 and Decree 1.011, which would have seen the publication of textbooks with a heavy Bolivarian bias. Parents noticed that such textbooks were really Cuban books filled with revolutionary propaganda outfitted with different covers. The protest movement, which was primarily by middle-class parents whose children went to privately run schools, marched to central Caracas shouting out

4641-414: The Chávez regime argued that it was dictatorial. Most jurists believed that the new constituent assembly had become the country's "supreme authority" and that all other institutions were subordinate to it. The assembly also declared a "judicial emergency" and granted itself the power to overhaul the judicial system. The Supreme Court ruled that the assembly did indeed have this authority, and was replaced in

4760-744: The Commandant of the Operational Strategic Command) and "are trained to defend the (Bolivarian) revolution of internal and external enemies". It has been alleged by El Mundo that the militia has sometimes used "violence to silence dissent or journalists who do not bow to the discourse of the regime". [REDACTED]   VEN 2017 Venezuelan constitutional crisis New Spain American Confederation of Venezuela Caudillismo Andean Hegemony Democratic period Bolivarian Revolution On 29 March 2017,

4879-536: The FARC and ELN terrorist groups, and even adopted a nom de guerre Comandante Centeno. By now Chávez was a supporter of taking military action, believing that the oligarchy would never allow him and his supporters to win an election. Chávez and his supporters later founded a political party, the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR – Movimiento Quinta República ) in July 1997 in order to support Chávez's candidacy in

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4998-415: The MBR-200 coup, initially planned for December, until the early twilight hours of 4 February 1992. On that date five army units under Chávez's command moved into urban Caracas. Despite years of planning, the coup quickly encountered trouble since Chávez commanded the loyalty of less than 10% of Venezuela's military. After numerous betrayals, defections, errors, and other unforeseen circumstances, Chávez and

5117-602: The Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara (1928–1967) after reading his memoir The Diary of Che Guevara . In 1974, he was selected to be a representative in the commemorations for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Ayacucho in Peru, the conflict in which Simon Bolívar's lieutenant, Antonio José de Sucre , defeated royalist forces during the Peruvian War of Independence . In Peru, Chávez heard

5236-478: The National Guard armed with buckshot and batons . Many demonstrators were arrested, with the media being caught in the assault, having their cameras confiscated while one female reporter of Caracol Radio was singled out by a group of troops and beaten. On 4 April 2017, opposition called for a march from Plaza Venezuela to the National Assembly with thousands of Venezuelans participating, though access to

5355-570: The President ). He founded two newspapers, El Correo del Presidente ( The President's Post ), founded in July, for which he acted as editor-in-chief, and Vea ( See ), another newspaper, as well as Question magazine and Vive TV. El Correo was later shut down among accusations of corruption and mismanagement. In his television and radio shows, he answered calls from citizens, discussed his latest policies, sang songs and told jokes. In June 2000 he separated from his wife Marisabel, and their divorce

5474-512: The San Carlos military stockade, wracked with guilt and feeling responsible for the failure of the coup. Pro-Chávez demonstrations outside San Carlos led to his transfer to Yare Prison . Another unsuccessful coup against the government occurred in November, with the fighting during the coups resulting in the deaths of at least 143 people and perhaps as many as several hundred. Pérez was impeached

5593-515: The action a " self-coup ". The decision was condemned by some media outlets with analysts characterizing the move as a turn towards authoritarianism and one-man rule. Politicians throughout the Americas, as well as leaders from the United Nations, condemned the decision and demanded its reversal, though the Venezuelan government stated no coup had taken place and instead justified its decision as

5712-480: The actions of the opposition. Critics suspected that the members of the Constitutional Assembly would not be elected in open elections, but selected from social organizations loyal to Maduro. The proposal would be an alternative way to close the National Assembly. It would also allow him to stay in power during the interregnum , as the process would take at least two years. Diosdado Cabello pointed that

5831-489: The activations of Articles 333 and 350 of the Venezuelan Constitution. A "road map" was also enacted by the opposition which entailed the nullification of further actions performed by the TSJ, the call for a continuous, peaceful protest movement "until the restitution of the constitutional order" and for Venezuelans to continue to confront President Maduro's constitutional assembly. According to Jose Vicente Haro,

5950-606: The amendment. It is composed by the MUD, the Marea Socialista , minor parties without representatives in the Assembly (such as the marxists Bandera Roja), disenchanted chavistas, the Catholic Church , universities, human rights organizations, lawyers and artists. Eustoquio Contreras is the only deputy that defected from Maduro and opposed the amendment. Luis Salamanca , former rector of the National Electoral Council , considers that

6069-477: The army. In 1977, he founded a revolutionary movement within the armed forces, in the hope that he could one day introduce a leftist government to Venezuela: the Venezuelan People's Liberation Army ( Ejército de Liberación del Pueblo de Venezuela , or ELPV), consisted of him and a handful of his fellow soldiers who had no immediate plans for direct action, though they knew they wanted a middle way between

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6188-509: The basis of " Chavismo ", a political ideology closely associated with Bolivarianism and socialism of the 21st century . Chávez described his policies as anti-imperialist , being a prominent adversary of the United States's foreign policy as well as a vocal critic of neoliberalism and laissez-faire capitalism . He described himself as a Marxist . Chávez was born on 28 July 1954 in his paternal grandmother Rosa Inéz Chávez's home,

6307-481: The comments, which were picked up by the media worldwide and recalled its ambassador for consultations. Meanwhile, the 2000 elections had led to Chávez's supporters gaining 101 out of 165 seats in the Venezuelan National Assembly, and so in November 2001 they voted to allow him to pass 49 social and economic decrees. This move antagonized the opposition movement particularly strongly. At the start of

6426-426: The contours of the painting". There was a low turnout of 37.65% and an abstention of 62.35%, 88% of the voters supported his proposal. Chávez called an election on 25 July to elect the members of the constituent assembly. Over 900 of the 1,171 candidates standing for election were Chávez opponents. To elect the members of the assembly, Chávez used a formula designed by mathematical experts and politicians, known at

6545-453: The country against the move, demanding President Maduro to leave office, with Caracas protests remaining calm while protests in other federal states resulted in clashes between demonstrators and authorities, leaving one policeman dead, 120 injured and 147 arrested. That day the opposition gave President Maduro a deadline of 3 November 2016 to hold elections, with opposition leader, Miranda Governor Henrique Capriles stating, "Today we are giving

6664-451: The country's bicameral legislature into a single National Assembly that gave him more power and created community groups of loyal supporters allegedly trained as paramilitaries. Such actions created great fear among Venezuelans who felt like they were tricked and that Chávez had dictatorial goals. The first organized protest against the Bolivarian government occurred in January 2001, when

6783-478: The country's murder rate and continued corruption within the police force and the government. Across the political spectrum, Chávez is regarded as one of the most influential and controversial politicians in the modern history of Venezuela and Latin America . His 14-year presidency marked the start of the socialist " pink tide " sweeping Latin America—he supported Latin American and Caribbean cooperation and

6902-483: The court however stated that it would retain the powers of the legislature until the "contempt situation persists and the National Assembly actions are invalidated". The action transferred powers from the Assembly, which had an opposition majority since January 2016, to the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, which has a majority of government loyalists. The ruling also granted President Maduro the power to suspend elections, imprison opposition deputies and withdraw Venezuela from

7021-421: The crackdown, Chávez did not, since he was then hospitalized with chicken pox . He later condemned the event as " genocide ". Chávez began preparing for a military coup d'état known as Operation Zamora. The plan involved members of the military overwhelming military locations and communication installations and then establishing Rafael Caldera in power once Pérez was captured and assassinated. Chávez delayed

7140-446: The death of President Hugo Chávez , Venezuela faced a severe socioeconomic crisis during the presidency of his successor, President Nicolás Maduro , as a result of their policies. Due to the state's high levels of urban violence, inflation, and chronic shortages of basic goods attributed to economic policies such as strict price controls, civil insurrection in Venezuela culminated in the 2014–17 protests . Protests occurred over

7259-486: The decision of the Republican Moral Council decision on the TSJ judges, stating that he and Comptroller Manuel Galindo had rejected the request to endorse proceedings against the TSJ, whereas Attorney General Ortega had dissented. Today, on May 1, I announce that I will use my presidential privileges as constitutional head of state in accordance with article 347, to convene the original constituent power so that

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7378-582: The early 2010s, economic actions performed by his government during the preceding decade, such as deficit spending and price controls, proved to be unsustainable, with Venezuela's economy faltering. At the same time, poverty , inflation and shortages increased. Under Chávez, Venezuela experienced democratic backsliding , as he suppressed the press, manipulated electoral laws, and arrested and exiled government critics. His use of enabling acts and his government's use of propaganda were controversial. Chávez's presidency saw significant increases in

7497-414: The eligible Venezuelan population turned out to vote, with 59% of voters deciding to keep the president in power. In January 2005, Chávez began openly proclaiming the ideology of " socialism of the 21st century ", something that was distinct from his earlier forms of Bolivarianism , which had been social democratic in nature, merging elements of capitalism and socialism. He used this new term to contrast

7616-496: The ensuing decade, this would be increased to 90,000 barrels a day (in exchange for 40,000 Cuban medics and teachers), dramatically aiding the Caribbean island's economy and standard of living after its " Special Period " of the 1990s. However, Venezuela's growing alliance with Cuba came at the same time as a deteriorating relationship with the United States. Chávez opposed of the 2001 American-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to

7735-423: The expansion of the militia to include 500,000 personnel, stating that the government would purchase a new rifle for each militiaman, with plans to increase its personnel numbers to about over a million active service personnel plus an undetermined number of reserves. The next year in December 2018, Maduro claimed that the militia grew by 1.6 million members, he also said during a speech that he would extensively arm

7854-564: The front may not be capable to stop Maduro, as he is unwilling to negotiate the proposal. On 22 May, the Republican Moral Council – which the opposition hoped would establish proceedings against TSJ judges – shared their approval of the National Constitutional Assembly despite the absence of Attorney General Ortega, with Ombudsman Tarek William Saab stating that "The call to the National Constituent Assembly

7973-496: The government already consolidating itself within the military and politically by canceling elections, calls for further demonstrations as well as the intervention of the armed forces were futile. Following the rare criticism from Attorney General Ortega, an inner-circle official, Maduro ordered a review of the TSJ's decision regarding the National Assembly. One day later, the Tribunal reversed that particular order, thereby reinstating

8092-621: The government, where they attended Daniel O'Leary High School in the mid-1960s. His father, despite having the salary of a teacher, helped pay for college for Chávez and his siblings. Aged 17, Chávez studied at the Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences in Caracas, following a curriculum known as the Andrés Bello Plan, instituted by a group of progressive, nationalistic military officers. This new curriculum encouraged students to learn not only military routines and tactics but also

8211-537: The high cost of life. We want to make a call on them to be the first guardians of democracy and the Venezuelan Constitution and that they become part of the solution." Finally, Borges called on international attention to the ruling and called for new protests saying "there is fear, there is repression, but it is time to stand up." Hours later, opposition officials gathered outside of the TSJ headquarters and were attacked by pro-government paramilitary groups called colectivos and National Guard troops. Deputy Juan Requesens

8330-521: The judiciary, and by his creation of a parallel government of military cronies". Soon after being established into office, Chávez spent much of his time attempting to abolish existing checks and balances in Venezuela. He appointed new figures to government posts, adding leftist allies to key positions and "army colleagues were given a far bigger say in the day-to-day running of the country". For instance, he put Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 founder Jesús Urdaneta  [ es ] in charge of

8449-506: The jurisprudence of this High Court (see Ruling Nº 155 of 28 March 2017). The move was denounced by the opposition, with Assembly President Julio Borges making statements on 30 March describing the action as a coup d'état by President Nicolás Maduro. Borges called on the military to intervene, stating that "they cannot remain silent in the face of the violation of the Constitution" and "that FAN officers are also going through drama caused by

8568-419: The leftist president, General Juan Velasco Alvarado (1910–1977), speak, and inspired by Velasco's ideas that the military should act in the interests of the working classes when the ruling classes were perceived as corrupt. Befriending the son of Maximum Leader Omar Torrijos , the leftist dictator of Panama, Chávez visited Panama, where he met with Torrijos, and was impressed with his land reform program that

8687-407: The managers and executives of PdVSA and replaced them with political allies, stripping the state-owned company expertise. Much of Chávez's opposition originated from the response to the "cubanization" of Venezuela. Chávez's popularity dropped due to his relationship with Fidel Castro and Cuba, with Chávez attempting to make Venezuela in Cuba's image. Chávez, following Castro's example, consolidated

8806-471: The meeting point was quickly blocked by the Bolivarian National Guard . Twelve subway stations were closed. Pro-government colectivos blocked opposition marches and fired weapons at protesters, with demonstrations resulting in the injuries of about 42 individuals, including seven police officers, while over 50 people were arrested. In reporting the story, The New York Times noted that in

8925-401: The members in question, in response to which the Supreme Court ruled that the Assembly was in contempt of court and in violation of the constitutional order. The TSJ court then began to approve multiple actions performed by Maduro and granted him more powers. After facing years of crisis, the Venezuelan opposition pursued a recall referendum against President Maduro , presenting a petition to

9044-573: The middle class and the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy who had formerly supported him. Chávez was re-elected with 60% of the vote, a larger majority than his 1998 electoral victory. That year, Chávez improved ideological ties with the Cuban government of Fidel Castro by signing an agreement under which Venezuela would supply Cuba with 53,000 barrels of oil per day at preferential rates, in return receiving 20,000 trained Cuban medics and educators. In

9163-520: The military a mandated role in the government by empowering it to ensure public order and aid national development, which the previous constitution had expressly forbidden. In the new constitution, the country, until then officially known as the Republic of Venezuela, was renamed the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (República Bolivariana de Venezuela) at Chávez's request. Chávez's actions following

9282-569: The military academy as one of the top graduates of the year. Following his graduation, Chávez was stationed as a communications officer at a counterinsurgency unit in Barinas. In 1977, Chávez's unit was transferred to Anzoátegui , where they were involved in battling the Red Flag Party , a Marxist– Hoxhaist insurgency group. After intervening to prevent the beating of an alleged insurgent by other soldiers, Chávez began to have his doubts about

9401-607: The military, the Bolivarian Revolutionary Army-200 (EBR-200), later redesignated the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 (MBR-200). He was inspired by Simón Bolívar , Simón Rodríguez and Ezequiel Zamora , who became known as the "three roots of the tree" of the MBR-200. In 1984 he met Herma Marksman , a recently divorced history teacher with whom he had an affair that lasted several years. During this time Francisco Arias Cárdenas ,

9520-652: The military. After his release, on 14 December 1994, Chávez visited Cuba during the Special Period , where he was received by Fidel Castro with head of state honors. During his visit, Chávez gave a speech at the Aula Magna of the University of Havana before Fidel and the Cuban high hierarchy where, among other things, he said "We have a long term strategic project, in which the Cubans have and would have much to contribute" and "it

9639-644: The militia. The National Boliviarian Militia has been described as a "political army" created by Hugo Chávez that has hundreds of thousands of members in service, including military reservists and employees of state and public enterprises at all levels. The militia is "under the direct command of the president" as the Commander in Chief of the National Armed Forces (through the authority of the Defense Minister and

9758-423: The minimum state participation in "mixed companies" at 51%, whereby the state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), could have joint control with private companies over industry. By 2006, all of the 32 operating agreements signed with private companies during the 1990s had been converted from being primarily or privately-run to being at least 51% controlled by PDVSA. Chávez had also removed many of

9877-477: The move would be "spurious ... a legal metaphor to describe what is done outside the Constitution". Another TSJ judge, Marisela Godoy, spoke out against Maduro's proposal, stating "At this moment I support, without any fear, the attorney general ( Luisa Ortega Díaz ), who is not any official" and that if she were to be criticized by the government, she "does not care". However, the Constitutional assembly proposal

9996-471: The new constitution would prevent a politician similar to the Argentine Mauricio Macri from ever becoming president of Venezuela. Macri was elected president in the 2015 presidential elections , ending the 12-years terms of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner , longtime allies of both Chávez and Maduro. The MUD started a common front for all the people in Venezuela that oppose

10115-413: The old left, as well as the members of the militarist right wing, some of them nostalgic for the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez. By May 1998, Chávez's support had risen to 30% in polls, and by August he was registering 39%. Voter turnout was 63%, and Chávez won the election with 56.2% of the vote. Chávez's presidential inauguration took place 2 February 1999. He deviated from the usual words of

10234-486: The opposition and the government beginning. By 7 December 2016, dialogue halted between the two and two months later on 13 January 2017 after talks stalled, the Vatican officially pulled out of the dialogue. Further protests were much smaller due to the fear of repression, with the opposition organizing surprise protests instead of organized mass marches. Other actions by President Maduro and his Bolivarian officials included

10353-555: The opposition-led National Assembly "took power not for the majority not for the people but for themselves". The Court ruled that the National Assembly was "in a situation of contempt", because of the aforementioned rulings against the election of some of its members. It stripped the Assembly of legislative powers , and took those powers for itself; which meant that the Court might have been able to create laws. The court did not indicate if or when it might hand power back. A statement issued by

10472-479: The plan. The plan involved 70,000 soldiers, sailors and members of the air force repairing roads and hospitals, removing stagnant water that offered breeding areas for disease-carrying mosquitoes, offering free medical care and vaccinations, and selling food at low prices. Several scandals later affected the program as allegations of corruption were formulated against generals involved in the plan and that significant amounts of money had been diverted. Chávez called

10591-426: The powers of the Assembly. The opposition, however, dismissed the backtracking and called on Venezuelans "to take to the streets" against what they called an attempted coup, arguing that the moves proved that Maduro controlled the judiciary and therefore separation of powers did not exist in the republic. Protests in the country continued after the reversal with the opposition demanding early elections. Following

10710-471: The present time about 400,000 men and women are on various training levels, but the target of its authorities is to reach 1,100,000 part-time servicemen and women in the coming years. Today more than 160,000 men and women serve actively in the militia, with plans to have a half-a-million-strong active force of reserve national servicemen and women in 2015. Following the 2017 Venezuelan constitutional crisis and its subsequent protests, President Maduro announced

10829-470: The president. The presidential term was extended to six years, and a president was allowed to serve for two consecutive terms. Previously, a sitting president could not run for reelection for 10 years after leaving office. It also replaced the bicameral Congress with a unicameral Legislative Assembly and gave the president the power to legislate on citizen rights, to promote military officers and to oversee economic and financial matters. The assembly also gave

10948-403: The presidential oath when he took it, proclaiming: "I swear before God and my people that upon this moribund constitution I will drive forth the necessary democratic transformations so that the new republic will have a Magna Carta befitting these new times". Freedom in Venezuela suffered following "the decision of President Hugo Chávez, ratified in a national referendum, to abolish congress and

11067-417: The previous few months Maduro had been swiftly consolidating power, and the Assembly was considered by many to be the sole remaining counterbalance to the President's control. It also noted that following such moves by the government, "many now describe as not just an authoritarian regime, but an outright dictatorship." Fox News also noted that following the sporadic protests that did not produce results, with

11186-567: The ratification the 1999 Venezuelan constitution government weakened many of Venezuela's checks and balances, allowing the government to control every branch of the Venezuelan government for over 15 years after it passed until the Venezuelan parliamentary election in 2015 . In May 2000 he launched his own Sunday morning radio show, Aló Presidente ( Hello, President ), on the state radio network. This followed an earlier Thursday night television show, De Frente con el Presidente ( Face to Face with

11305-413: The referendum only days before preliminary signature-gatherings were to be held. The Council blamed alleged voter fraud as the reason for the cancellation of the referendum. International observers criticized the move, stating that CNE's decision made Maduro look as if he were seeking to rule as a dictator. Days after the recall movement was cancelled, 1.2 million Venezuelans protested throughout

11424-417: The remaining coup members to lay down their arms. Chávez remarked in his speech that they had failed only " por ahora " (for now). Venezuelans, particularly poor ones, began seeing him as someone who stood up against government corruption and kleptocracy . The coup "flopped militarily—and dozens died—but made him a media star", noted Rory Carroll of The Guardian . Chávez was arrested and imprisoned at

11543-401: The reversal of the rulings by the TSJ, the National Assembly prepared proceeding against the court, accusing the court of not being separated from the executive, though Reuters noted that "the move by the opposition-led congress would only be symbolic because it remains powerless". Following the criticism of the TSJ's ruling by Attorney General Ortega, there were calls for her to be involved in

11662-570: The right-wing policies of the government and the far-left position of the Red Flag. Nevertheless, hoping to gain an alliance with civilian leftist groups in Venezuela, Chávez set up clandestine meetings with various prominent Marxists, including Alfredo Maneiro (the founder of the Radical Cause ) and Douglas Bravo . Five years after his creation of the ELPV, Chávez went on to form a new secretive cell within

11781-442: The same day. Going into the elections, Chávez had control of all three branches of government. For the position of president, Chávez's closest challenger proved to be his former friend and co-conspirator in the 1992 coup, Francisco Arias Cárdenas , who since becoming a governor of Zulia state had turned towards the political centre and begun to denounce Chávez as autocratic. Some of his supporters feared that he had alienated those in

11900-538: The slogan Con mis hijos no te metas ("Don't mess with my children"). Although the protesters were denounced by Chávez, who called them "selfish and individualistic", the protest was successful enough for the government to retract the proposed education reforms and instead enter into a consensus-based educational program with the opposition. Later into 2001, an organization known as the Coordinadora Democrática de Acción Cívica (Democratic Coordinator, CD)

12019-658: The so-called Republican Moral Council, made up of the Prosecutor's Office, the Office of the Comptroller and the Office of the Ombudsman, which had the right to remove members of the TSJ according to the Venezuelan constitution. During protests on 4 April, opposition leaders announced that they would pursue the removal of the seven judges who signed the rulings against the National Assembly. On 7 April, Ombudsman Tarek William Saab announced

12138-429: The start of Chavez's presidency resulted in temporary improvements in areas such as poverty, literacy, income equality and quality of life between primarily 2003 and 2007, though extensive changes in structural inequalities did not occur. On 2 June 2010, Chávez declared an "economic war" on Venezuela's upper classes due to shortages , arguably beginning the crisis in Venezuela . By the end of Chávez's presidency in

12257-431: The state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela . Chávez initially believed that capitalism was still a valid economic model for Venezuela, but only Rhenish capitalism , not neoliberalism . Low oil prices made Chavez's government reliant on international free markets during his first months in office, when he showed pragmatism and political moderation, and continued to encourage foreign investment in Venezuela. During

12376-512: The story of his background for political reasons. Attending the Julián Pino Elementary School, Chávez was particularly interested in the 19th-century federalist general Ezequiel Zamora , in whose army his own great-great-grandfather had served. With no high school in their area, Hugo's parents sent Hugo and his older brother Adán to live with their grandmother Rosa, who lived in a lower middle class subsidized home provided by

12495-585: The territorial national service militia commands mentioned, and even a newly created national guards brigade, and in the future, armor and aviation units. It is an autonomous and auxiliary force for the Armed Forces' service branches, with its own chain of command and service arms, reporting directly to the President, the Minister of Defense and the Operational Strategic Command. It can be estimated at

12614-478: The time as the kino (lottery) or the "keys of Chávez". Chávez obtained 51% of the votes, but his supporters took 95% of the seats, 125 in total, including all of the seats assigned to indigenous groups, while the opposition won six seats. On 12 August 1999, the new constituent assembly voted to give themselves the power to abolish government institutions and to dismiss officials who were perceived as corrupt or as operating only in their own interests. Opponents of

12733-409: The tremendous loss of expertise. By 2005, the members of Venezuela's energy ministries stated it would take more than 15 years for PDVSA to recover from Chávez's actions. The 1999 constitution had introduced the concept of a recall referendum into Venezuelan politics, so the opposition called for such a referendum to take place. The resulting 2004 referendum to recall Chávez was unsuccessful. 70% of

12852-423: The working class and the people can call a national constituent assembly. President Nicolás Maduro On 1 May 2017 following a month of protests that resulted in at least 29 dead, Maduro called for a Constitutional Assembly that would draft a new constitution that would replace the 1999 Venezuela Constitution . He invoked Article 347, and stated that his call for a new constitution was necessary to counter

12971-470: The years, with demonstrations occurring in various intensities depending on the crises Venezuelans were facing at the time and the perceived threat of being repressed by authorities. The discontent with the United Socialist Government saw the opposition being elected to hold the majority in the National Assembly for the first time since 1999 following the 2015 Parliamentary Election . As

13090-506: Was a Venezuelan politician and military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period of forty-seven hours in 2002 . Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when it merged with several other parties to form the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), which he led until 2012. Born into

13209-503: Was accepted by the CNE, with an election slated for 10 July 2017. The call generated further protests. 920 Battalions were created and maintained, composed by 200,000 militias to respond to violent protests. Pedro Carreño , aide of Diosdado Cabello , stated that Venezuela would be suffering an attack similar to the 1973 Chilean coup d'état against Salvador Allende , and that those militias would prevent that. Capriles complained that Maduro

13328-491: Was attacked by colectivo forces while Carlos Paparoni was pushed to the concrete by a National Guardsman. A journalist for the National Assembly's broadcast team, El Capitolio TV was struck in the head and required stitches. Government supporters and authorities also attempted to take recording devices away from the media on the scene. In a rare break of ranks, on 31 March 2017, pro-government Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz stated on Venezuelan state television while holding

13447-422: Was designed to benefit the peasants. Influenced by Torrijos and Velasco he saw the potential for military generals to seize control of a government when the civilian authorities were perceived as serving the interests of only the wealthy elites. Chávez later said, "With Torrijos, I became a Torrijist. With Velasco I became a Velasquist. And with Pinochet, I became an anti-Pinochetist". In 1975, Chávez graduated from

13566-405: Was finalised in January 2004. Under the new constitution, it was legally required that new elections be held in order to re-legitimize the government and president. This presidential election in July 2000 would be a part of a greater "megaelection", the first time in the country's history that the president, governors, national and regional congressmen, mayors and councilmen would be voted for on

13685-728: Was founded, under which the Venezuelan opposition political parties, corporate powers, most of the country's media, the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce , the Institutional Military Front and the Central Workers Union all united to oppose Chávez's regime. The prominent businessman Pedro Carmona (1941–) was chosen as the CD's leader. The Coordinadora Democrática and other opponents of Chávez's Bolivarian government accused it of trying to turn Venezuela from

13804-469: Was imprisoned. Pardoned from prison two years later, he founded the Fifth Republic Movement political party, and then receiving 56.2% of the vote, was elected president of Venezuela in 1998 . He was reelected in the 2000 Venezuelan general election with 59.8% of the vote and again in the 2006 Venezuelan presidential election , with 62.8% of the vote. After winning his fourth term as president in

13923-960: Was instrumental in setting up the pan-regional Union of South American Nations , the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States , the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas , the Bank of the South and the regional television network TeleSUR . Internationally, Chávez aligned himself with the Marxist–Leninist governments of Fidel and then Raúl Castro in Cuba, as well as the socialist governments of Evo Morales in Bolivia, Rafael Correa in Ecuador and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua. Chávez's ideas, programs, and style form

14042-462: Was to moderate his approach, implementing a new economic team that appeared to be more centrist and reinstated the old board of directors and managers of the state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), whose replacement had been one of the reasons for the coup. At the same time, the Bolivarian government began to increase the country's military capacity, purchasing 100,000 AK-47 assault rifles and several helicopters from Russia, as well as

14161-402: Was transferred by army escort to La Orchila ; business leader Pedro Carmona declared himself president of an interim government. Carmona abolished the 1999 constitution and appointed a governing committee. Protests in support of Chávez along with insufficient support for Carmona's government quickly led to Carmona's resignation, and Chávez was returned to power on 14 April. Chávez's response

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