Venezuelan Elections
The Chávez Era
Elections that Created the Fifth
Republic
• National elections of 1998
• Constituent Assembly and Constitutional Referendum of 1999
– Continued domination by the Patriotic Pole
– Manipulated electoral law shuts out opposition from writing of the
new constitution
• December referendum on the new constitution
– Overwhelming approval
– Abstention high
Charismatic Campaigner
Elections that Staffed the Fifth
Republic: Presidential
• Conditions
– Plurality – six year term
– Delay of balloting
• The Contendors
– MVR and MAS back Chavez
– Francisco Arias Cardenas spearheads the opposition
– Claudio Fermin: Punto Fijo revival?
• Outcome
– Chavez wins 60% of the total popular vote
Elections that Staffed the Fifth
Republic: National Assembly
 Conditions
 Mixed list-plurality system
 Five-year term
 The Contendors
 MVR and MAS form Patriotic Pole
 AD fields candidates in all states
 New political parties in the regions (states)
 Outcome
 Patriotic Pole wins majority – but unable to modify the constitution
 AD has largest opposition delegation
 Middle class parties elect numerous Assemblymen
Elections that Staffed the Fifth
Republic: Regions
 Conditions
 Governors elected – first past the post (five year terms)
 Mixed list-plurality system for state legislatures
 The Contendors
 MVR and MAS form Patriotic Pole
 AD fields candidates in all states
 New political parties in the regions (states)
 Outcome
 Patriotic Pole wins 16 of the 21 governors
 Zulia remains with the opposition
 Central states (Aragua & Carabobo) back opposition
 AD elects governors in the Llanos
Elections that Staffed the Fifth
Republic: Municipalities
 Conditions
 Mayors elected in mega-elections of July 30, 2000
 Councilmen elected in December local elections
 Neighborhood councils elected in December local elections
 The Contendors
 MVR and MAS form Patriotic Pole
 AD fields candidates in most municipalities
 New political parties in the regions run candidates for mayor/councilmen
 Outcome
 Patriotic Pole wins a majority of majors, but just barely
 AD elects almost 30% of the majors s
 Junta parochiales split among opposition and government forces
Abstention
*increases progressively after the 1998
national elections
*reaches 80% in the municipal elections of
December 2000
*Exhaustion with electoral politics
Electoral Panorama:
Marginalization of Chávez
Opponents
 Revocatory referendum (August, 15, 2004) 60% for
retention
 Regional and Local elections (October 31, 2004) 80% of
seats for the Revolution
 Municipal Council elections (August 7, 2005) 80 % of
seats for the Revolution
 National Assembly Elections (November, 2006)
opposition abstains; Chavez forces win all seats.
National Assembly of Venezuela
Election Results (December 2005)
 Fifth Republic Movement (MovimientoV [Quinta] República)
 2,041,293 votes
 60.0 % - 116 seats (out of 167)
 For Social Democracy (Por la Democracia Social)
 277,482 votes
 8.2% - 18 seats
 Fatherland for All (Patria para Todos)
 197,459 votes
 6.8 % (10 seats)
 Communist Party of Venezuela (Partido Comunista deVenezuela)
 94,606 votes
 2.7% (7 seats)

LAGO
 61,789 votes
 1.8% (2 seats)
Reelection emboldens Chavez to
call for a Referendum to Change
the Constitution
 November 2, 2007 – National Assembly approves a
constitutional overhaul.
 Leads to riots (light) in Caracas
33 Articles of 1998 Constitution were to be
amended
Proposed major changes
• Allowing the indefinite re-election of the
president - not applicable to any other
political post
• Increasing the presidential term from six
to seven years
• Introducing changes to the country's
administrative structure
• Ending the autonomy of the central bank
• lacing the president in charge of
administering the country's international
reserves
• Reducing the maximum working week
from 44 to 36 hours
Voters Narrowly Reject the Reforms
First electoral defeat for Chavez
followed by government efforts
 RCTV (television station)
to weaken the opposition
.
licensed was not renewed
 272 people seeking public
office banned from running
for office in upcoming state &
municipal elections
 Elections scheduled for
November 23, 2008
Creating PSUV (United Socialist Party
of Venezuela
 Process initiated after Chavez won the presidential election of
December 2006
 Purpose – merge all parties that support the Bolivarian
Revolution
 On 24 March 2007, the first 2,000 party members took their
oaths on a party ceremony.
 Founding congress held in April 2008
Political Parties Joining PSUV
 People's Electoral Movement




(MEP)
Everybody Wins Independent
Movement (MIGATO)
Venezuelan Popular Unity
(UPV)[7]
Revolutionary Movement
Tupamaro (MRT)
Socialist League (LS)
 Movement for Direct




Democracy (MDD)
Union Party
Militant Civic Movement
(MCM)
Action Force of Base
Coordination (FACOBA)
Independents for the National
Community (IPCN)
Revolutionary Parties Not joining PSUV
 For Social Democracy (PODEMOS)
 Fatherland for All (PPT)
 Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV)
 Revolutionary Middle Class (CMR)
 Emergent People (GE)
 National Socialist Group of Liberation Pro Venezuela
(PROVEN)
 Communitary Patriotic Unity (UPC)
Public Attitudes Toward Creation of PSUV
•Recent Poll from Últimas Noticias
•Communal +Popular Power
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAaK4jTcCf4
Elections
23 November,2008
 22 governorships
 All state legislators
 328 Mayors
PSUV: Candidate Selection for Elections
of November 23, 2008
•About 2.5 million members of the party choose
candidates
• 22 governors
• 328 mayors
• If no single pre-candidate obtains at least 50% plus 1
of the votes, or 15% more votes than the next highest
pre-candidate, the national executive body of the PSUV
and President Chavez, can select the candidate out of
the three who achieved the highest vote.
Caracas: Municipalities
PSUV: Primary vote for Metropolitan
Mayor: Caracas
 ARISTOBULO IZTURIZ ALMEIDA
94.64%
129.873 votos
 ANGEL LUIS AGOSTINI RINCONES
00.88%
1.208 votos
 SORA ANGELLA MARTINEZ
00.53%
729 votos
PSUV: Primary vote for Governor of
Miranda
 DIOSDADO CABELLO RONDON
87,39%
22.155 votos
 TULIO AMADO JIMENEZ RODRIGUEZ
5,11%
1.297 votos
 ARMANDO GARCIA
1,11%
283 votos
 REBECA PADILLA
0,93%
237 votos

PSUV: Primary vote for Metropolitan Mayor:
Maracaibo
 HENRY JOSE RAMIREZ SANCHEZ
64,41%
62.560 votos
 CALIXTO ANTONIO ORTEGA RIOS
12,5%
12.142 votos
 JOE ANTONIO BERMUDEZ RINCON
4,18%
4.068 votos
Táchira
 State capital : San
Cristobal
 Area: •% 11,100 km²
1.2 (Ranked 16th)
 Population: •%
1,177,300 hab. (2007 est.)
4.5 (Ranked 9th)
 Governor: Roland
Blanco La Cruz(PSUV);
2004 – 2008)
PSUV: Primary vote for Governor of Tachira
 LEONARDO ALI SALCEDO RAMIREZ
39,4%
50.266 votos
 JOSE GREGORIO VIELMA MORA
33,3%
42.490 votos
 FRANCISCO JAVIER ARIAS CARDENAS
8,65%
11.037 votos

Barinas: Fiefdom of the Chavez
family
PSUV: Primary vote for Governor of Barinas
 Gobernador o Gobernadora de Estado
 ADAN COROMOTO CHAVEZ FRIAS
91,15%
59.568 votos
 MARCOS RAMON FERNANDEZ
3,4%
2.226 votos
 RAMON ADOLFO FALCON
2,9%
1.899 votos
Platform for PSUV
Expand
Popular
Power
+
Communal
Power
New Constitution
+
Termination of 2 term of
Presidency
PSUV
Unitary
Poltical Party
November 23, 2008 Elections
RESULTS
 Venezuelan Comptroller General banned almost 300
candidates
 Opposition won five (out of 22) state governorships
 Zulia, Tachira, Nueva Esparta, Carabobo & Miranda
 Dissident Chavistas peform poorly
 ( Barinas, Lara & Guarico)
 Opposition victories in race for mayor of metropolitan
Caracas & Maracaibo
 Government unhappy with losses in key states & municipios
Second Constitutional
Referendum:
February 15, 2009
 Economic deterioration leads President to schedule the
referendum as quickly as possible
 Rainy day funds used to prevent economic downturn
 Initial proposal to permit indefinite reelection of president
only in trouble
 Changed to allow for indefinite reelection of governors &
mayors
Electoral Appeal & Voting
Campaign slogans &
outcome
 "Chávez loves us and love is
repaid with love
 Chávez is incapable of doing us
harm
 54% of voters support indefinite
reelection of the president and
other office holders
Bugles sounding from
government vehicles
roused people - queues
swiftly formed outside
polling
Love & War with Colombia:
Is there an electoral dimension?
•What is going on?
 Chavez orders troops
to prepare for War
 Popularity of Chavez
government falling
 Barrio Adentro
deteriorated
 Electricity and water
shortages
 Divert the attention of
voters in run up to 2010
elections?
Protest against U.S. Bases