The political framework of Venezuela

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

President: Nicolás Maduro (since 19 April, 2013)
Executive Vice President: Delcy Rodriguez Gomez (since 18 June, 2018)

Next Election Dates

National Assembly: April 2025

Main Political Parties

Venezuela operates under a multi-party system where coalition-building is common due to the challenges single parties face in securing power independently. The government has been known to restrict the activities of opposition groups and their allies. Notably, interventions have occurred in historically significant opposition parties like COPEI and Democratic Action, as well as in pro-government parties such as the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV). The main parties in the country are:

Governing Parties:

United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV): A left-wing party founded by Hugo Chávez in 2007, the PSUV has been the dominant political force in Venezuela, maintaining a significant majority in the National Assembly.
Fatherland for All (PPT): A left-wing party with democratic socialist and libertarian Marxist ideologies.
Revolutionary Movement Tupamaro (MRT): A far-left party adhering to communist, Marxist-Leninist, and Guevarist principles.
Movement We Are Venezuela (MSV): A left-wing party aligned with Chavismo, promoting socialist and anti-imperialist policies.
For Social Democracy (PODEMOS): A center-left to left-wing party advocating social democracy.
Alliance for Change (APC): A center-left party with social democratic and democratic socialist orientations.
People's Electoral Movement (MEP): A left-wing party with socialist and nationalist ideologies.
Authentic Renewal Organization (ORA): A party characterized by syncretic politics, Christian socialism, evangelical beliefs, and conservatism.
Venezuelan Popular Unity (UPV): A left-wing party embracing Bolivarian, communist, and socialist ideologies.

Opposition and Other Parties:

Justice First (PJ): A centrist party founded in 2000, emphasizing progressivism and humanism.
Democratic Action (AD): A center-left party established in 1941, known for its social democratic stance and significant historical influence in Venezuelan politics.
Hope for Change (El Cambio): A centrist party advocating Christian democracy.
A New Era (UNT): A center-left party promoting social democracy and reformism.
Popular Will (VP): A center-left party with a broad ideological spectrum, including social democracy and market liberalism.
Radical Cause (LCR): A center-left party rooted in laborism and democratic socialism.
Progressive Advance (AP): A center-left party focusing on social democracy, progressivism, and federalism.
Project Venezuela (ProVen): A center-right party advocating Christian democracy and liberal conservatism.
Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV): A far-left party founded in 1931, adhering to Marxist-Leninist principles.

Executive Power

The President of Venezuela serves as both the Chief of State and Head of Government and is elected by popular vote for a six-year term, with the possibility of indefinite re-election following a 2009 constitutional amendment. The President holds executive power, appoints the Vice President, determines the size and composition of the cabinet, and makes ministerial appointments independently, without requiring parliamentary approval.

Legislative Power

Venezuela has a unicameral legislature, the National Assembly, which currently consists of 277 members elected by popular vote for five-year terms. Three of these seats are reserved for representatives of the country’s indigenous peoples. Legislative power is exclusively vested in the National Assembly. The President has the authority to veto legislation passed by the Assembly, but a simple majority of the Assembly can override the veto. However, the President does not have the constitutional power to dissolve the National Assembly.

Indicator of Freedom of the Press

Definition

Definition:

The world rankings, published annually, measures violations of press freedom worldwide. It reflects the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists, the media and digital citizens of each country and the means used by states to respect and uphold this freedom. Finally, a note and a position are assigned to each country. To compile this index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) prepared a questionnaire incorporating the main criteria (44 in total) to assess the situation of press freedom in a given country. This questionnaire was sent to partner organisations,150 RWB correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists. It includes every kind of direct attacks against journalists and digital citizens (murders, imprisonment, assault, threats, etc.) or against the media (censorship, confiscation, searches and harassment etc.).

World Rank:: 148/180

Indicator of Political Freedom

Definition

Definition:

The Indicator of Political Freedom provides an annual evaluation of the state of freedom in a country as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions (on Electoral Process, Political Pluralism and Participation, Functioning of Government) and 15 civil liberties questions (on Freedom of Expression, Belief, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights). Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0 represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties present. The total score awarded to the political rights and civil liberties checklist determines the political rights and civil liberties rating. Each rating of 1 through 7, with 1 representing the highest and 7 the lowest level of freedom, corresponds to a range of total scores.

Ranking:: Partly Free
Political Freedom:: 7/7

Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House

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