Reply #38: It is exactly as I said.

[Matilda]

The decree is the same that was granted to him for 18 months in 2007, and according to the Venezuelan Constitution it provides that:

"Chavez has not been granted the right to decree whatever he chooses. He remains bound by the limits of the constitution, and the Supreme Court has the power to rule on whether any law passed by Chavez violates the constitution. The National Assembly retains the right to modify or repeal any law Chavez decrees."

http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/36971

This new law is framed under the same terms and conditions of the 2007 law, and will come into effect only if passed by the democratically elected National Assembly. This does not constitute a dictatorship. However much you might like to think it does, the reality is otherwise - Chavez will be able to rule by decreee for a limited time only, and within the framework of the Constitution.