Why Hugo Chávez was given more authority

[Judi Lynn]

Week of Feb. 08 to Feb. 14, 2007

Why Hugo Chávez was given more authority

By Maria Páez Victor, PhD.

This week the parliament of Venezuela gave President Hugo Chávez the authority to pass laws by decree for the next 18 months on 10 issues of domestic importance. This type of power has a time limit and an issue limit and is specifically allowed by Article 203 of the Venezuelan constitution.

It is not the first time President Chávez has been allowed this prerogative. Twice before he was given such powers, according to this constitutional provision, and he carried out the duties allowed to him by the parliament without any misstep or abuse of power.

A close look at Venezuelan history shows that this power, also enshrined in the past constitution, was given to presidents Rómulo Betancourt (1959) Carlos Andrés Pérez (1974), Jaime Lusinchi (1984) and Ramon Jose Velázquez (1993) to carry out decisions related to finance, external debt and creation of new state institutions among others. However, since these presidents were in friendly terms with the White House, there was no decrying of an erosion of Venezuelan democracy then.

In fact, during the past 40 years, and during previous presidential terms, glaring abuses of human rights have been committed in the country but not one word of protest or concern was uttered by Washington.
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http://www.progresoweekly.com/index.php?progreso=Maria_Paez&otherweek=1170914400

Thanks to DU'er Say_What for sharing this material.