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Venezuela GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Government: Functioning representative
democratic
system established in 1958 after ouster of military
dictator
Marcos Pérez Jiménez. Constitution of 1961 establishes
federal
republic of twenty states, two federal territories
(Amazonas and
Delta Amacuro), a Federal District (Caracas), and
seventy-two
island dependencies. Central government divided into
executive,
legislative, and judicial branches. President, who
dominates
governmental affairs, elected every five years. Presidents
cannot
run for reelection until two intervening terms (ten years)
have
passed. Carlos Andrés Pérez (1974-79, 1989-) first
president
reelected in post-1958 democratic era. Bicameral Congress
made up
of Senate and Chamber of Deputies. Members of Congress
serve
five-year terms, elected from party lists under
proportionalrepresentation system. Judicial branch headed by Supreme
Court of
Justice. No state or municipal court systems; all courts
federal
courts.
Politics: Mainly two-party system. Democratic
Action
(Acción Democrática--AD), which adheres to social
democratic
line, opposed by Social Christian Party (Comité de
Organización
Política Electoral Independiente--COPEI). AD and COPEI
tended to
alternate in presidential elections until 1989, when AD's
Pérez
succeeded fellow AD member Lusinchi. Differences in
ideology
between AD and COPEI slight; both supported generous
social
programs and state-directed industrialization efforts
until Pérez
instituted significant reforms in 1989. COPEI's foreign
policy
approach somewhat more conservative than AD's. Political
campaigns characterized by significant levels of
expenditure,
particularly on mass media.
International Relations: International outreach
and
leadership in forums such as United Nations and
Organization of
American States during 1970s diminished in 1980s as result
of
economic problems. Foreign policies sought to promote oil
exports, to encourage democracy in other countries, and to
maintain political stability in the Caribbean and South
America.
Unsettled border disputes with Colombia (in the Golfo de
Venezuela) and Guyana. Other concerns with regard to
Colombia
included illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and
spillover of
Colombian insurgent/terrorist groups. Generally close ties
with
United States.
International Agreements and Membership: Party
to
Inter- American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio
Treaty) and
Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin
America
(Tlatelolco Treaty). Also member of numerous international
organizations, including Organization of American States,
United
Nations and its specialized agencies, Andean Common
Market,
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, World
Bank,
Inter-American Development Bank, Latin American
Integration
Association, and Nonaligned Movement.
Data as of December 1990
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