| Country Name |
conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
conventional short form: Venezuela |
| Government Type |
federal republic |
| Capital |
Caracas |
| Administrative Divisions |
23 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 capital district* (distrito capital), and 1 federal dependency** (dependencia federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales**, Distrito Federal*, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Vargas, Yaracuy, Zulia
note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands |
| Independence Day |
5 July 1811 (from Spain) |
| Constitution |
30 December 1999 |
| Executive Branch* |
chief of state: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL Vale (since 28 April 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL Vale (since 28 April 2002)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 30 July 2000 (next to be held 3 December 2006)
note: in 1999, a National Constituent Assembly drafted a new constitution that increased the presidential term to six years; an election was subsequently held on 30 July 2000 under the terms of this new constitution
election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of vote - Hugo CHAVEZ Frias 59.5%, Francisco ARIAS 37.5%, Claudio FERMIN 3%
note: a special presidential recall vote on 15 August 2004 resulted in a victory for CHAVEZ; percent of vote - 58% in favor of CHAVEZ fulfilling the remaining two years of his term, 42% in favor of terminating his presidency immediately.
The Executive Branch is headed by the President of the Republic, the Executive Vice President, the Ministers and other officials as determined by the Constitution and the laws. The President is elected by universal, direct and private vote. The candidate who obtains a majority of the valid votes cast is proclaimed elected. The President serves for a period of six years, with the possibility of an immediate re-election.
The Ministers, who form the Council of Ministers, are appointed by the President. At present there are 14 ministries.
At executive level, the following ministries are concerned with commercial and economic activities: Interior and Justice; Foreign Affairs; Finance; Defense; Production and Commerce; Education; Culture and Sport; Health and Social Development; Labor; Infrastructure; Energy and Mines; Environment and Natural Resources; Planning and Development; Science and Technology; and the Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic. |
| Legislative Branch* |
unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (167 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela)
elections: last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - pro-government 167 (MVR 114, PODEMOS 15, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other 25), opposition 0The Legislative Branch is formed by the unicameral National Assembly, whose members are Deputies elected by each state (three Deputies per state) by universal, direct, personal and secret vote through a system of proportional representation on a demographic base of 1.1% of the total population of the country. During recess, a standing committee acts in place of the Assembly formed by the President and Vice President of the Assembly, with the chairmen of the standing committees. The National Assembly appoints the members of standing, ordinary and ad hoc committees for all sectors of the nation’s activities. To become law, a bill must be passed in two readings on different days. In the first reading, on the bill’s explanatory statement, the lawmakers evaluate its objectives, scope and feasibility to determine the appropriateness of the legislation. After passage in first reading, the bill is sent to the appropriate committee, which issues its report within 30 days. When the report on the bill is received, the second reading begins, and finally, if there is no disagreement, the Presidency of the Assembly enacts the law. |
| Judicial Branch* |
The Judicial Branch is formed by the Supreme Court of Justice (Tribunal Supremo de Justicia), the lower courts, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Public Defender (Ombudsman), the criminal investigation agencies, and the officials of the justice system, the prison system, the alternative methods of justice, the citizens who participate in the administration of justice, and the lawyers authorized to practice. The Supreme Court justices are appointed for a single period of 12 years. Aspirants may apply to the Judicial Nominations Committee on their own initiative or be proposed by organizations related to the judicial activity. |
| The Citizens’ Branch* |
The Citizens’ Branch is governed by the Republican Moral Council formed by the Ombudsman (Defensor del Pueblo), the Public Prosecutor and the Comptroller General of the Republic. The Republican Moral Council elects its own president who acts for one year, and may be re-elected. The constituent bodies of this branch of the government are responsible, under the Constitution, for preventing, investigating and punishing unethical acts in the public administration; overseeing the good management and legal use of public funds and property, compliance and application of the principle of legality in all the administrative activity of the State, promotion of education as a creative process, as well as solidarity, freedom, democracy, social responsibility and work. |
| The Electoral Branch* |
The Electoral Branch is in the hands of the Venezuelan Electoral Council (Consejo Nacional Electoral) with its subordinate bodies: the National Electoral Board, the Civil and Electoral Registry Commission, and the Commission on Political Participation and Financing. The functions of the Electoral Branch are to regulate the electoral laws and resolve any doubts or legal gaps, to organize, administer, direct and oversee the popular election of public officials and referenda, and maintain, organize, direct and supervise the Civil and Electoral Register. The Venezuelan Electoral Council has five members with no political affiliation: three of them nominated by civil society, one by the schools of laws and political sciences of the national universities and one by the citizens' branch. A two-thirds majority of the National Assembly is then needed to approve the members, who serve for seven years. |
| Political Parties and Leaders |
Christian Democrats or COPEI [Eduardo FERNANDEZ]; Democratic Action or AD [Jesus MENDEZ Quijada]; Fatherland for All or PPT [Jose ALBORNOZ]; Fifth Republic Movement or MVR [Hugo CHAVEZ]; Justice First [Julio BORGES]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA]; Venezuela Project or PV [Henrique SALAS Romer]; We Can or PODEMOS [Ismael GARCIA] |
| Political Pressure groups and leaders |
FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; VECINOS groups; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labor organization dominated by the Democratic Action) |
| International Organization Participation |
CAN, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
* Click for more information.
Please email any inquiries you may have about the Bolivarian Government to diplomatic@venezuela.org.my. Thank you.
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