Democracy in Hugo Chavez's Venezuela: Developing or Faltering Due to His Politics, Activities, and Rhetoric; Research paper

摘要

Since 1999, Hugo Chavez has been serving as the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. During his reign, Chavez, a member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, has made many dramatic changes to the nearly 50-year-old democracy, including nationalizing several key industries, stripping the judicial branch of a number of powers, limiting free speech, and governing by decree. He also proposed a constitutional amendment to increase the term of the president from 6 to 7 years and to end current term limits, effectively making him 'President for Life.' In December 2007, the amendments were defeated by a narrow margin. Although he has gained the favor of the poor through increasing access to health care, boosting educational opportunities, providing subsidy programs for a number of commodities, and reallocating government and foreign-owned land, many worry that Chavez's '21st Century Socialism' is a return to authoritarianism. This paper examines Chavez's tenure as president and argues that although he has advanced a socialist agenda and has consolidated considerable power, he is not entirely forsaking the basic principles of democracy. In addition, the recent defeat of his constitutional amendments demonstrates that the population is still holding firmly to the ideals of democracy.