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52-498: In Venezuela, lifetime Senate seats existed from 1961 to 1999. The former Presidents who held this position were: Rómulo Betancourt (1964-1981), Raúl Leoni (1969-1972), Rafael Caldera (1974-1994, 1999), Carlos Andrés Pérez (1979-1989, 1994-1996), Luis Herrera Campins (1984-1999) and Jaime Lusinchi (1989-1999). At the Senate's last election in 1998 , it had 54 elected members (48 elected two per state plus 6 additional to get

104-611: A "universal, direct, personal, and secret" vote partly by direct election in state-based voting districts, and partly on a state-based party-list proportional representation system. Each of the 23 States and the Capital District elects no less than three representatives plus the result of dividing the state population by 1.1% of the total population of the country. Three seats are reserved for representatives of Venezuela's indigenous peoples and elected separately by all citizens, not just those with indigenous backgrounds. For

156-669: A National Constituent Assembly to be convened to draft a new constitution for Venezuela. Chávez's argument was that the existing political system, under the earlier 1961 Constitution, had become isolated from the people. In the Constituent Assembly elections held on 25 July 1999, all but six seats were given to candidates associated with the Chávez movement. The National Constituent Assembly (ANC), consisting of 131 elected individuals, convened in August 1999 to begin rewriting

208-490: A coup d'état by President Nicolás Maduro . However, after public protests and condemnation by international bodies, the court's decision was reversed a few days later on 1 April. On 4 August 2017, Venezuela convened a new Constituent National Assembly after a special election which was boycotted by the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) and other opposition parties. The new Constituent Assembly

260-558: A more proportional result) and 3 lifetime senators. Primary sources: This article about politics in Venezuela is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . President of Venezuela The president of Venezuela (Spanish: Presidente de Venezuela ), officially known as the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: Presidente de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela ),

312-555: A new election is called within 30 days. Noting that the 2018 presidential election failed to adhere to constitutional requirements, the National Assembly contend that Maduro's second term never began, and the seat is vacant. On 11 January, Juan Guaidó of the Popular Will party and president of the legislature stated that he was prepared to take on the role of acting president. With the National Assembly recognizing

364-446: A popular recall referendum any time within the last three years of a presidential term. A 2009 referendum removed the previous restrictions which limited the president to 2 terms. From 1958 to 1999, the presidential term was set at five years. A sitting president was not only barred from immediate reelection, but could not run again for 10 years (equivalent to two full terms) after leaving office. The president may be recalled after

416-468: A presidential term) were awarded lifetime senate seats . Senators were required to be Venezuelan-born citizens and over the age of 30. The members of the Chamber of Deputies were elected by direct universal suffrage, with each state returning at least two. Deputies had to be at least 21 years old. The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies were each led by a President, and both performed their functions with

468-404: A replacement (suplente) to stand in for them during periods of incapacity or absence. Under the 1999 constitution deputies could be reelected on up to two terms (Art. 192); under the 2009 Venezuelan constitutional referendum these term limits were removed. Deputies must be Venezuelan citizens by birth, or naturalized Venezuelans with a period of residency in excess of 15 years; older than 21 on

520-583: A secretary and an assistant secretary, they form the Assembly Directorial Board, and when it is on recess twice a year, they lead a Standing Commission of the National Assembly together with 28 other MPs . Since 2010 the Assembly's 15 Permanent Committees, created by the 2010 Assembly Rules, are composed by MPs (ranging from the minimum of 7 to the maximum of 25) tackling legislation of various issues. The Committees' offices are housed in

572-517: A specific time in office. Presidents of Venezuela who served under the 1864 constitution (starting with Juan Crisóstomo Falcón ) bore the title of "President of the Union", instead of the usual "President of the Republic" still used today. Aside from that, all heads of state of the country since 1811 have held the title of "President of Venezuela", with minor variations regarding the official name of

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624-499: A transitional government were unsuccessful, with Maduro continuing to control Venezuela's state institutions. The European Union still does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate president, threatening his government with further sanctions . The interim government was dissolved in December 2022, when three of the four main political parties approved its dissolution to create a commission of five members to manage foreign assets, as

676-496: A united strategy ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for 2024, stating that the interim government had failed to achieve the goals it had set. According to articles 227 and 229 of the Constitution of Venezuela , adopted in 1999, the following requirements must be met in order to become President of Venezuela: The current presidential term is for six years with the constitutionally guaranteed recourse of holding

728-839: A vacuum in the office of the president, and citing Article 233 of the Venezuelan Constitution, Guaidó was declared acting president of Venezuela by that body on 16 January. The legislature approved the Statute Governing the Transition to Democracy to Re-establish the Validity of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( Spanish : Estatuto que Rige la Transición a la Democracia para Restablecer la Vigencia de la Constitución de la República Bolivariana De Venezuela ) on 5 February, defining

780-704: Is also the commander-in-chief of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB). The powers and obligations of the president of Venezuela are established, limited and numbered by articles 236 and 237 of the constitution : The president's salary directly derives from the National Treasury, as stated in the Organic Law of Salaries, Pensions and Retirements of High Officials of the Public Power. During his or her tenure,

832-553: Is intended to rewrite the constitution; it also has wide legal powers allowing it to rule above all other state institutions. The Constituent Assembly met within the Federal Legislative Palace; while the leadership of the National Assembly had said it would continue its work as a legislature and it would still continue to meet in the same building. On 18 August the Constituent Assembly summoned

884-954: Is made up of members from the four service branches of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces and other institutions of public security, and is headed by a general or flag officer. Since 1900, the official workplace of the president is the Palace of Miraflores in Caracas . The presidential residence has been the palace of La Casona since 1964, instituted by president Raúl Leoni . La Casona is not used by incumbent president Maduro , who has decided not to inhabit it. The presidential designation encompasses only those persons who were sworn into office as President of Venezuela following Venezuela's declaration of independence from Spanish colonial rule , which took effect on 5 July 1811. The first president, taking office on 5 July 1811,

936-606: Is the head of state and head of government in Venezuela . The president leads the National Executive of the Venezuelan government and is the commander-in-chief of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces . Presidential terms were set at six years with the adoption of the 1999 Constitution of Venezuela , and presidential term limits were removed in 2009. The office of president in Venezuela has existed since

988-658: The 2005 elections , and as a result gained no seats, while the Fifth Republic Movement gained 114 (69%). In 2007 a number of parties, including the Fifth Republic Movement, merged to create the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), which in January 2009 held 139 of the 169 seats (82%). In the 2010 election , for which the number of deputies was reduced to 165, the PSUV won 96 seats (58%),

1040-469: The National Assembly declared that—following the expiration of the mandate granted through the 2013 presidential election —Maduro would have no constitutional mandate to govern Venezuela if he was sworn in on 10 January . Article 233 of the Venezuelan Constitution establishes that in the event of a presidential vacuum, the president of the National Assembly takes charge of the presidency until

1092-516: The United Nations has continued to recognize the Maduro presidency as the legal representative of Venezuela as of December 2019. In December 2022, three of the four main political parties ( Justice First , Democratic Action and A New Era ) backed and approved a reform to dissolve the interim government and create a commission of five members to manage foreign assets, as deputies sought

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1144-518: The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) entered the office as interim president on 5 March 2013 after the death of Hugo Chávez , and was elected in the 2013 presidential election . He was reelected in the 2018 presidential election , which was disputed amid charges of irregularities including: the elections were held four months before the prescribed date, multiple major opposition parties were banned from participating or imprisoned, and there were charges of vote-buying. On 5 January 2019,

1196-741: The 1811 Venezuelan Declaration of Independence from the Spanish Crown ; the first president was Cristóbal Mendoza . From 1821 to 1830, Venezuela was a member state of Gran Colombia , and the Venezuelan executive was absorbed by the Colombian government in Bogotá . When the State of Venezuela became independent from Gran Colombia, the office of the president was restored under José Antonio Páez . Every head of state of Venezuela since then has held

1248-568: The 2010 to 2015 the number of seats was 165. Deputies to the National Assembly serve a five-year term and may be re-elected for a maximum of two consecutive terms. The National Assembly meets in the Federal Legislative Palace in Venezuela's capital, Caracas . Under its previous 1961 Venezuelan Constitution  [ es ] , Venezuela had a bicameral legislature, known as the Congress (Congreso) . This Congress

1300-573: The José María Vargas Building in Caracas, few hundred yards from the Federal Legislative Palace, the former building is also where the offices of the Assembly leadership are located. In the 2000 Venezuelan parliamentary election , representatives were elected under a mixed member proportional representation , with 60% elected in single seat districts and the remainder by closed party list proportional representation . This

1352-651: The National Assembly: one by deputy Luis Parra and one by Juan Guaidó. Parra was formerly a member of Justice First , but was expelled from the party on 20 December 2019 based on corruption allegations, which he denies. From inside the legislature, Parra declared himself president of the National Assembly; a move that was welcomed by Maduro administration. The opposition disputed this outcome, saying that quorum had not been achieved and no votes had been counted. Police forces had blocked access to parliament to some opposition members, including Guaidó, and members of

1404-502: The Republic of Venezuela" (Jefe Supremo de la República de Venezuela) from 1819 until 1830. In 1830, José Antonio Páez declared Venezuela independent from Gran Colombia and became president, taking office on 13 January 1830. Although he was not the first president of Venezuela (having in mind Cristóbal Mendoza in 1811), he was the first head of state of independent Venezuela, after the dissolution of Gran Colombia. From that point on, five constitutions were adopted, all slightly changing

1456-564: The Vice President, but not the President, who can only be removed through a recall referendum ) and appointing the members of the electoral, judicial, and prosecutor's branches of government. Among others it also has the power to authorize foreign and domestic military action and to authorize the President to leave the national territory for more than 5 days. The Assembly is led by a President with 2 Vice Presidents, and together with

1508-602: The constitution. The ANC's proposed constitution was approved in a referendum on 15 December 1999 and came into effect the following 20 December. On 29 March 2017, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) stripped the elected National Assembly of its constitutional powers, ruling that all powers would be transferred to the Supreme Court. The previous year the court found the assembly in contempt for swearing in legislators whose elections had been deemed invalid by

1560-508: The country (which has changed four times since the restoration of the independence in 1830). National Assembly (Venezuela) Others (21) The National Assembly ( Spanish : Asamblea Nacional ) is the federal legislature of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , which was first elected in 2000 under the 1999 constitution . It is a unicameral body made up of a variable number of members, who are elected by

1612-411: The court. The 2017 court judgement declared that the "situation of contempt" meant that the assembly could not exercise its powers. The action transferred powers from the Assembly, which had an opposition majority since January 2016, to the Supreme Court, which has a majority of government loyalists. The move was denounced by the opposition with Assembly President Julio Borges describing the action as

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1664-541: The current Bolivarian 1999 Constitution , the legislative branch of Government in Venezuela is represented by a unicameral National Assembly. The Assembly is currently made up of 277 seats . Officials are elected by "universal, direct, personal, and secret" vote on a national party-list proportional representation system. In addition, three deputies are returned on a state-by-state basis, and three seats are reserved for representatives of Venezuela's indigenous peoples. All deputies serve five-year terms and must appoint

1716-490: The day of the election; and have lived in the state for which they seek election during the previous four years (Art. 188). Beyond passing legislation (and being able to block any of the president's legislative initiatives), the National Assembly has a number of specific powers outlined in Article 187, including approving the budget, initiating impeachment proceedings against most government officials (including ministers and

1768-433: The deputies sought a united strategy ahead of the presidential election of July 2024 . As a self described republic with a presidential executive, Venezuela grants significant powers to the president. The president effectively controls the executive branch, represents the country abroad, and appoints the cabinet and, with the approval of the National Assembly , the judges for the Supreme Tribunal of Justice . The president

1820-444: The extent of the president's powers and responsibilities. During the 19th century, Venezuela suffered political turmoil and autocracy, remaining dominated by regional military dictators until the mid-20th century. Since 1958, the country has had a series of democratic governments, as an exception where most of the region was ruled by military dictatorships, and the period was characterized by economic prosperity. Nicolás Maduro of

1872-519: The form of the 2017 Venezuelan protests . The constitutionality of this move has been questioned, and it has been condemned by several foreign governments and international bodies. The 2020 Venezuelan National Assembly Delegated Committee election of 5 January, to elect the Board of Directors of the National Assembly was disrupted. The events resulted in two competing claims for the Presidency of

1924-455: The help of a Directorial Board. The President of Senate of Venezuela held the additional title of "President of the Congress", and was the constitutional successor of the President of Venezuela in case of a vacancy. This succession took place in 1993, when Octavio Lepage succeeded Carlos Andrés Pérez . President Hugo Chávez was first elected in December 1998 on a platform calling for

1976-400: The media. Later in the day, a separate session was carried out at the headquarters of El Nacional newspaper, where 100 of the 167 deputies voted to re-elect Guaidó as president of the parliament. In his speech, Guaidó announced his resignation from Popular Will. Guaidó was sworn in a session on 7 January after forcing his way in through police barricades. Parra has reiterated his claim to

2028-410: The members of the National Assembly to attend a ceremony acknowledging its legal superiority; the opposition members of the National Assembly boycotted the event. In response, the Constituent Assembly stripped the National Assembly of its legislative powers, assuming them for itself. It justified the move by claiming that the National Assembly had failed to prevent what it called "opposition violence" in

2080-686: The municipal, state, or national level in the jurisdiction where the election takes place are also ineligible unless holding accidental, assistance, teaching, or academic positions. A deputy of the National Assembly cannot own, manage, or direct companies that contract with state entities, nor can they manage private lucrative interests with such entities. Deputies are obliged to abstain from voting on issues where they have an economic conflict of interest. Moreover, they are not allowed to accept or exercise other public offices without losing their status as deputies, except for teaching, academic, or assistance activities that do not require full-time dedication. Under

2132-559: The opposition electoral coalition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) 65, and Patria Para Todos won 2. At the 2015 parliamentary election , the MUD won 109 of the 164 general seats and all three indigenous seats, which gave them a supermajority in the National Assembly; while the government's own coalition, the Great Patriotic Pole (GPP), won the remaining 55 seats. Voter turnout exceeded 70 percent. The result, however,

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2184-673: The presidency of the parliament. Any Venezuelan citizen by birth or naturalization , with at least fifteen years of residence in Venezuelan territory, who is 21 years of age or older, is eligible to be elected as a deputy to the National Assembly. However, the same person cannot hold the office of President or Vice President of the Republic, Minister, Secretary of the Presidency, or hold senior positions in Autonomous Institutes or State-owned companies , until three months after leaving these positions. Additionally, state governors , secretaries of government, and other officials at

2236-445: The president may not be employed by anyone else, nor receive any other salary from the state. The president's salary is not to be superior to twelve monthly minimum wages , that is to say, 67,469.76 VEF (as of February 2015). The Presidential Honor Guard Brigade  [ es ] of Venezuela is in charge of the president's protection, as well as the presidential family and their political peers. The Presidential Guard of Honor

2288-656: The profound confusion of the Venezuelan War of Independence and the period of Gran Colombia over what is now Venezuela, this page has gaps between 1813 and 1819. For this period in time, historians refer to the Republic of Venezuela as the Second Republic of Venezuela (1813–1814) and the Third Republic of Venezuela (1817–1819) as Simon Bolivar twice reestablished the republic. The Congress of Angostura appointed Simón Bolívar "Supreme Commander of

2340-479: The timing of the transition. Maduro's controversial win and Guaidó's subsequent claim triggered the Venezuelan presidential crisis . The international community is divided on the issue of the Venezuelan presidency; AP News reported that "familiar geopolitical sides" had formed, with allies Russia, China, Iran, Syria, and Cuba supporting Maduro, and the US, Canada, and most of Western Europe supporting Guaidó. Moreover,

2392-424: The title of president. During the 19th century, Venezuela suffered political turmoil and autocracy, remaining dominated by regional military dictators until the mid-20th century. Since 1958, the country has had a series of democratic governments, as an exception where most of the region was ruled by military dictatorships, and the period was characterized by economic prosperity. The Venezuelan presidential crisis

2444-515: Was a political crisis concerning the leadership and who holds the office remained disputed until 5 January 2023. It began when the opposition-majority National Assembly declared that incumbent Nicolás Maduro 's 2018 re-election was invalid and the body declared its president, Juan Guaidó , to be acting president of the country. However, support for Guaidó declined following a failed uprising attempt in April 2019 . Efforts led by Guaidó to create

2496-552: Was actually the president of a triumvirate of the first established Republic of Venezuela that rotated the presidency weekly. The person serving as president during the week of 5 July was one of the three signatories of the Declaration of Independence: Cristóbal Mendoza . Mendoza shared the triumvirate with Juan Escalona and Baltasar Padrón. A second triumvirate followed on 3 April 1812, whose members were Francisco Espejo, Fernando Toro and Francisco Javier Ustariz. Owing to

2548-563: Was an adaptation of the system previously used for the Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies , which had been introduced in 1993, with a 50-50 balance between single seat districts and party lists, and deputies per state proportional to population, but with a minimum of three deputies per state. The first election of deputies to the new National Assembly took place on 30 July 2000. President Hugo Chávez ' Fifth Republic Movement won 92 seats (56%). The opposition did not participate in

2600-477: Was composed of a Senate of Venezuela (Senado) and a Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) . The Senate was made up of two senators per state , two for the Federal District , and a number of ex officio senators intended to represent the nation's minorities. In addition, former presidents (those elected democratically or their replacements legally appointed to serve at least half

2652-483: Was inaugurated which has the power to rule over all other state institutions and rewrite the constitution. As of May 2019, the Constituent Assembly mandate is expected to expire on 31 December 2020 (after next National Assembly elections), a measure that replaces the previous resolution of August 2017 that established its validity for at least two years. In 2020, Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela and allied parties claimed to have captured 67 percent of seats in

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2704-418: Was marred by the January 2016 suspension from the National Assembly by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice of 4 elected members of Parliament (MPs) from Amazonas state due to alleged voter fraud and election irregularities. 3 of the 4 were opposition deputies and one was from the government's coalition (GPP). Following the 2017 Venezuelan Constituent Assembly election the new Venezuelan Constitutional Assembly

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