But then, in doing a spot of research, I'm confused that Venezuelan constitutions come and go, with recalls, and "compelling the opposition to participate in elections". The current defense of CHAVEZ here is that the-people-will-him-to-more-terms(what-about-FDR?). FDR was only breaking a TRADITION, not creating a new constitution for his own benefit. But oh well, since Shrub says our own Constitution "is just a goddamed piece of paper" --why not.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_VenezuelaThe current presidential term is for six years with one possibility of immediate reelection, and with the constitutionally guaranteed recourse of holding a popular recall referendum anytime within the last three years of a presidential term.
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías 13 April 2002 - present
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6D7113EF932A15751C0A9609C8B63Chávez Considers End To Presidential Term Limits
By JUAN FORERO (NYT)
Published: February 21, 2006
A day after President Hugo Chávez announced that he might seek a constitutional change so he could govern well into the 21st century, the attorney general, Isaías Rodríguez, played down the comments, asking citizens to consider the president's comments an exaggeration. Mr. Chávez is expected to cruise to victory for another six-year term this year but would be constitutionally barred from running again in 2012. His remarks, made Sunday in his weekly nationwide broadcast, came just days after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that Venezuela had become a ''challenge to democracy'' in the region. In his broadcast, Mr. Chávez also responded to her, ''Don't mess with me, girl.'' JUAN FORERO (NYT)
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1723.... No, such a referendum would not be about "whether he should govern the country for the next 25 years." A referendum would be about whether Chavez would be permitted to run every six years and --in the event that he were to continue winning elections-- serve multiple presidential terms. The AP report's opening sentence makes it sound as if such a referendum would do away with elections in Venezuela, as if its intent would be to grant Chavez a new 25-year term in office! ... ....
Chavez made it clear that, if the opposition committed to participating in the upcoming presidential election, he would not convoke a referendum to end presidential term limits. ....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5233594.stm .... Opinion polls put support for Mr Chavez at between 50% and 60%, with most of his rivals hovering at around 5%.
This will be the first time in Venezuela's history that a president is seeking a third consecutive term. ....
A potential flash point for this campaign is the air time allotted to the candidates.
President Chavez is allowed to continue his weekly broadcast, Hello Mr President, which can last up to five hours.
The opposition tried, and failed, to persuade the electoral authorities to take the programme off the air during the campaign.
http://www.angus-reid.com/tracker/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/12555 ....In 1947, renowned native writer Rómulo Gallegos of Democratic Action (AD) became the first democratically elected president in the South American country. He was ousted a few months later in a military coup led by Marcos Pérez Jiménez. A repressive dictatorship was instated until 1958, when a popular revolt forced the colonel to flee the country.
A new constitution was implemented in 1961. ....
In 1999, Hugo Chávez—a former colonel who served two years in jail for leading one of the coups against Pérez—was elected president running as an independent.
Chávez halted the privatization process and took measures to increase oil prices. In 1999, a new constitution was approved after a national referendum. The presidential term was extended from four to six years with the possibility of consecutive reelection. The president was also granted more power to take economic decisions, and the unicameral National Assembly was established.
In July 2000, Chávez won the presidential election with 59.5 per cent of the vote, representing the Patriotic Pole (PP) coalition. The alliance included Chávez’s Fifth Republic Movement (MVR), the Movement to Socialism (MAS), and Fatherland for Everybody (PPT).
In 2001, the left-wing leader introduced 49 new laws, including some that gave the state tighter controls over the oil industry and land reforms.
In 2002, Chávez faced a general strike after he tried to take full control of the state-administered oil company Petróleos de Venezuela. That same year, he survived a 48-hour coup led by businessman Pedro Carmona and some rogue military officers. Ten people died and more than a hundred were injured when thousands of Chávez followers and detractors clashed in street demonstrations.
A recall referendum on Chávez’s rule took place in August 2004, after many attempts from the opposition to gather enough signatures to force a ballot. 59 per cent of all voters supported the head of state, in elections considered as "transparent" by the Organization of American States (OAS).
In December 2005, Venezuelan voters renewed their National Assembly in an election marred by a low turnout. ....
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