Democracy in Venezuela

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Democracy in Venezuela
Many citizens in Venezuela wonder why there is no solid opposition party in the country. What is more perplexing is that there is a wider section of the society which advocates for the replacement of the elected Government. Very few citizens in Venezuela imagined of the depth of the societal transformation that Hugo Chavez and his political movement would bring to the country upon his victory in the presidential election in 1998. Chavez launched an aspiring project Bolivian Revolution which involved the re-founding of the Venezuelan republic. The question of the type of democracy to exist or not in Venezuela is not a mere abstract or theoretical matter but it perhaps brings out the most important social and political dynamics in Venezuela. Rising debates on the institutions and principles of Venezuelan democracy began upon the arrival of President Hugo Chavez to power. A lot has changed and since he was sworn in as president.
The political system has been compromised while amendments have been made without prior consent of the Governing Authority. Hugo was able to win his seat in 1998 after he attacked some of the key principles and institutions of representative democracy (Canache 90). He later on formulated a constitutional Assembly to draw a new constitution. In the light of the new constitution, the Bolivian Republic of Venezuela was known as a “democratic, participatory and protagonist society.” however many critics and observers of Venezuelan politics have questioned the democratic nature of Hugo’s regime. For some Hugo Chavez and his Bolivarian Revolution have caused more harm than good to the democracy of Venezuela. His eight years under leadership have been symbolized by a drastic disregard for the rule of laws, breakdown of party system and weakening of government institutions.
This paper will explore on how President Chavez leadership has changed the political system of Venezuela with regards to its political parties, division of powers among branches and institutions and restrictions to liberties. Later on it will explore on how these changes impact on Venezuelan democracy. According to an NGO Human Rights Watch (43) it opposed policies enacted by the Government of Venezuela to suppress the judiciary power and the independent media as a means of silencing the opposition. This move made the Venezuelan media to be “vulnerable” and the judicial authorities to be “supportive” to the interests of the Venezuelan Government. Enforcing laws and regulation was the key measure of destruction that Hugo Chavez’s administration imposed as a way of silencing the media. The Venezuelan Government has been accused of undermining the rights of its citizens to freedom of expression and freedom of association. Hugo Chavez has filled the judicial system with his supporters making it hard for opposition leaders to rally against him. This move has weakened most Government institutions and has further violated the constitution.
Cases of violence and crime have been prevalent and rampant in Venezuela yet very few people are convicted or prosecuted as the law enforced seems unwilling to tackle crime cases and brutality effectively. Security agents participate in frequent extra judicial killings and justice for such acts of human right crimes remains untouched. Extrajudicial killings still remains a closed case with security agents going under cover for crimes committed. There seems to be no strict evaluation of performances of the police force and initiative that are geared towards non-abusive policing are yet to be enacted. Inmate violence rates are high making conditions of the prisons deplorable and unbearable for inmate. It has been estimated that in Latin America the most violent prisons are found in Venezuela. Armed gangs control prisons because of corruption, poorly trained guards, overcrowding, weak security and deteriorating infrastructure. However, the Government has remained silent about these issues and has failed to take imperative measures.
In 2004, President Hugo Chavez and his legislative fanatics founded a political change over the Supreme Court by stacking it with supporters from the government and establishing initiatives that made it necessary to remove judicial policies from the court. Since then the court has given up its roles in checking on executive powers and has immensely failed in safeguarding fundamental rights engraved in the constitution. Judges were under threats of dismissal when they were found ruling against the government interests (Cedeño 91).
In December 2010, the outgoing National Assembly advocated for a law which granted Chavez the authority to legislate by Decree issues for 18 months. It ...