VENEZUELA | ¿Sigue siendo una DICTADURA? https://youtu.be/KcgTirDD9Zk. Venezuela’s political trajectory exhibits a specific combination of populist charismatic leadership and democratic backsliding (Posado 2022, From Chávez to Maduro: From Delegative Democracy to De-Democratization).
The particularity of the Venezuelan case lies in the fact that the regime’s serious de-democratization was not brought about by the populist leader himself, even if the end of Hugo Chávez’s term contained the seeds of it, but by Nicolás Maduro, who does not have the benefit of his predecessor’s legitimacy to establish his rule.
Posado examines six aspects of the de-democratization process: observance of the rules of democratic procedure; adherence to the rule of law and public institutions; the role of the armed forces; communication techniques and media relations; the degree of citizen participation and the level of repression against peaceful protest.
This study of Chavismo in power identifies three sequences: first, the early years of Hugo Chávez’s presidency in a configuration that can be defined as a delegative democracy; then, his second complete term, between 2006 and 2012, which evinced a decline in participation and a rise in illiberal mechanisms; lastly, the presidency of Nicolás Maduro since 2013, during which an authoritarian regime has taken hold.
For the past four years, Nicolás Maduro has been shunned by the West. Following the disputed 2018 elections, his second term has not been recognized by many countries, including the United States and members of the European Union. In fact, many have openly called him a dictator.
However, in November 2022, he had a very public and friendly meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, who openly called him president. At the same time, the United States also seems to be changing its position. So what has happened? And Venezuela is still a dictatorship?
The answer is easy for Venezuelans, nothing has changed, but from the perspective of the petro economy, now Venezuela's oil is once again essential for the world. Little does the West care about human rights in Saudi Arabia, in Qatar, or in Venezuela, what has changed is the new emphasis on energy security, which has taken on a new role among decision-makers, on climate change and other challenges of the world.
The particularity of the Venezuelan case lies in the fact that the regime’s serious de-democratization was not brought about by the populist leader himself, even if the end of Hugo Chávez’s term contained the seeds of it, but by Nicolás Maduro, who does not have the benefit of his predecessor’s legitimacy to establish his rule.
Posado examines six aspects of the de-democratization process: observance of the rules of democratic procedure; adherence to the rule of law and public institutions; the role of the armed forces; communication techniques and media relations; the degree of citizen participation and the level of repression against peaceful protest.
This study of Chavismo in power identifies three sequences: first, the early years of Hugo Chávez’s presidency in a configuration that can be defined as a delegative democracy; then, his second complete term, between 2006 and 2012, which evinced a decline in participation and a rise in illiberal mechanisms; lastly, the presidency of Nicolás Maduro since 2013, during which an authoritarian regime has taken hold.
For the past four years, Nicolás Maduro has been shunned by the West. Following the disputed 2018 elections, his second term has not been recognized by many countries, including the United States and members of the European Union. In fact, many have openly called him a dictator.
However, in November 2022, he had a very public and friendly meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, who openly called him president. At the same time, the United States also seems to be changing its position. So what has happened? And Venezuela is still a dictatorship?
The answer is easy for Venezuelans, nothing has changed, but from the perspective of the petro economy, now Venezuela's oil is once again essential for the world. Little does the West care about human rights in Saudi Arabia, in Qatar, or in Venezuela, what has changed is the new emphasis on energy security, which has taken on a new role among decision-makers, on climate change and other challenges of the world.
We Created Chávez, and Maduro. The time has come for a real change for Venezuelans.
San Jose Costa Rica, December 7, 2022, Rafael Alberto Vilagut, alberto.doer@gmail.com.
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