Democracy In Venezuela: Too Corrupt to Function or a Work in Progress ?

Heather Youngman Latin American Caribbean History Spring 2013

Democracy is supposed to be the government that saves the people. The United States thinks that it is the answer to all political turmoil. However, in Venezuela, the people have been thwarted as they have tried to create a democracy and all the invested effort seems in vain. The last dictator, Hugo Chavez, seized control once elected and quickly turned the democracy into a dictatorship. Since his death some say that it is the time to jump on the opportunity and try democracy again while others say that it will never work. According to the majority of historians, Venezuelan democracy has not been executed fairly and governmental corruption has become so great, that nothing short of involvement from an outside force can restore a democracy where everyones voice is heard. Venezuela has been battling with democracy since the early 1800s.1 The most recent battle was a long one in which Hugo Chavez ravaged the country. He was elected president in 1998 and refused to give up power until he died in 2013. He brought a huge amount of corruption to the country and did not help the economy. This is surprising considering the large amounts of oil found in Venezuela during his reign. This is in part due to Chavez managing the income from the oil poorly and distributing it to buyers in an inefficient manner but it is also because he kept most of the profits for himself. It is estimated that the government collected over $ 700,000,000,000 during the 15 years he was in power. It is a mystery where the money has gone though, since none of it is

"Encyclopedia of the Nations." Venezuela Politics, Government, and Taxation, Information about Politics, Government, and Taxation in Venezuela . N.p., 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.

apparent in the public works, health or education programs in Venezuela.2 This is further deemed unnecessary when examining all of the foreign aid of which he was a beneficiary. He accepted money from other countries such as Spain and France to finance his own political activities.3 According to Gustavo Coronel, source of information for the Cato Institute, under Chavezs regime corruption became widespread. It was not limited to his immediate collaborators, like before he came to power, but became common throughout the whole government. There has also been a certain amount of corruption during elections. He brainwashed the rural population with fake ideals and then overrepresented them. People were prevented from voting because of laws put in place for exactly that reason. There were also repeated rumors of Chavezs bureaucratic officials miscounting ballots or a general uproar at the results since the majority did not seem to reflect the outcome of the elections. When he won the election of 2012 he publicly announced his support of his vice president Nicolas Maduro in the chance that his cancer killed him before the end of his term. Just as he had hoped after his death in 2013, his vice president Nicolas Maduro came to power. Some historians say this is proof democracy will not work while others say that there is still hope for a just government where everyone has a say. Senior Policy Analyst for Latin America in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, Ray Walser says that it will be difficult for
2

Coronel, Gustavo. "The Corruption of Democracy in Venezuela." Cato Institute. USA Today Magazine, Mar. 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. 3 Coronel, Gustavo.

Venezuela to overcome the power of Chavismo even with all the impressive work of the opposition.4 He is hopeful but says that the only way for a fair election to take place in Venezuela is if the United States were to interfere. He, like many other Americans, thinks that democracy is the answer to all political situations and the United States should make this form of government possible. It would benefit both the people of Venezuela and the interests of the U.S. will be best served with the return of fully functioning democracy.5 As to how this would happen, Ray Walser makes a list of the 5 actions he believes are necessary on behalf of the United Sates, in order to restore the broken democracy. They must firstly create a report or find a record of the costs and consequences of the Chavez regime. This information could be spread across the country of Venezuela to show the people the damage that Chavez has done and see how worthwhile the venture to secure the government would be. Next Obama would have regulate the time period of the election, making sure it takes place over a period of only 30 days and push for international electoral observation. He would also have to make it clear that any violation of freedom and fairness in the elections would result in diplomatic and economic sanctions. The United States still has a reputation for military violence and power and placing fear in the corrupt bureaucratic officials would motivate them to fairness especially with their former leader dead. Even if it appears that there is compliance with these demands, the Obama administration would still have to

4 Walser,

Ray. "Venezuela After Chavez: U.S. Should Rally to Democracy." The Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation, 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. 5 Walser.

probe into the corruption of the government and send in agents to collect intelligence on the possible threats that Venezuela poses. Lastly, Obama would have to follow through with his words and commit to restoring democracy in Venezuela. Walser speaks of it as though it is difficult but realistic. He does not take into account the politics of the United Sates. With the backlash on the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq as an ever-present controversy in the United Sates, accomplishing these exact same goals in Venezuela is an unlikely possibility. This hopeful outlook on the democratic situation in Venezuela is similar to the opinions of Francisco Toro right after the last election of 2010. Toro has written numerous articles for magazines and newspapers defending the democracy in Venezuela. In one particular article for The New Republic, he thought that that the following election might have led to a majority voting against Chavez since the election in 2010 had been closer than ever that year. Chavez won with only 58%.6 He won by only 8% even with his rigged system of rules and fees to vote along with overrepresentation of the people he had brainwashed into believing he was a great president. Toro saw this as encouraging since groups were forming in Venezuela that spread the word of what Chavez was actually doing to the country and news of his corruption traveled. However, Toro too was proven wrong. The election of 2012 led to another victory for Chavez even in his poor physical condition. His cancer killed him while he was in office and left his vice president Nicolas Maduro in charge until elections could be set up again.
6

Toro, Francisco. "The New Republic." The New Republic. New Republic,29Sept.2010.Web.23.

Upon winning the his last election Chavez encouraged his supporters to vote for Maduro and it appears to have worked since Nicolas Maduro won the elections on April 19th of 2013.7 However, there were around 3,200 incidents reported that constituted of a violation of the electoral rules.8 People were intimidated, illegal campaigning took place and some voting machines didnt function at all. This could have shifted the weight in Maduros favor just enough for him to wi n showing that democracy in Venezuela is still not working and has no hope for the future. Human Rights Lawyer and professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Daniel Kovalik, take a more positive stance on the government in Venezuela. He says that the United States undermines the system of Venezuelas government and interferes when it is not necessary. He personally witnessed the election with some colleagues and what we found was an election system which was transparent, inherently reliable, well run and thoroughly audited.9 Kovalik and his colleagues saw with their own eyes electronic votes matching up with the paper receipt back ups. In fact, 54% of the votes are audited to make sure that the system is fair. They even offered to make 100% of the votes audited if it would make the elections recognized with less questioning.10 However the United States continues to poke its nose into the elections in Venezuela and questions the validity. During this past election in
Walser, Ray. "Venezuela: The Wrong President Takes Office." The Foundry Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation, 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. 8 Walser. 9 Kovalik, Daniel. "The US Continues to Undermine Democracy in Venezuela." Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names. Counter Punch, 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. 10 Kovalik.
7

April of 2013, 7 Venezuelans were killed and dozens injured when the United States was trying to enforce fair elections.11 Furthermore the losing party of the fairly run elections had reason to rebel and cause mayhem against the winning socialist party, which is trying to bring stability to the region. Nicolas Maduro won the election by 1.6%, which seems like a lot but that 1.6% is 260,000 votes.12 That seems like a reasonable margin for an election to be won, especially considering the past of the United States. Kovalik points out that the Supreme Court of the United States declined a re-count and even took measures to stop it when the election between Al Gore and George W. Bush was won by 0.61%.13 They are now demanding that Venezuela recount their ballots and validate the results of the election, which makes the United States hypocrites.14Kovalik claims that the United States is undermining democracy on purpose because they do not like the government chosen. However, this would contradict the former aim of the United States and the wars they have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. The United States supports democracy so it doesnt make much sense for them to undermine it. Although Jimmy Carter says, Venezuelas electoral system is indeed the best in the world, there must be something one party is missing.15 Through the eyes of the people of Venezuela, Ray Walser, Francisco Toro and Daniel Kovalik, a clear conclusion can be drawn about the failure of
11 12 13

Kovalik, Daniel.

Ibid. ibid. 14 ibid. 15 Ibid.

democracy in Venezuela in the past but the question of the present and future success still remains a hotly debated topic. Francisco Toro though that it could be saved even when Hugo Chavez was still in power with awareness of Chavezs manipulation techniques exposed and spread throughout the population. It is true that there have been elections every year they are ordered to be by the constitution whether the results are a representation of everyones voice or not. This should give hope because the process may be able to defeat the corruption yet. Ray Walser says that the help of the United States is the only way for the democracy to be enforced fairly and the people of Venezuela cannot do it on their own. Although this seems like a reasonable argument and the most likely, it would involve a replication of Afghanistan, which would not appeal to the American people. Daniel Kovalik claims from personal experience that the elections in Venezuela are legitimate and fair and there is no need for outside help. He says the aid the United States is trying to give is actually hurting a perfectly functioning government. While it is unlikely that the government is functioning perfectly it seems too early after the death of Chavez to tell the future fate of democracy in Venezuela. Historians will have to wait it out and see the results until a major step in one direction is made. Bibliography Books: Skidmore, Thomas E. and Peter H Smith. Modern Latin America. 5th Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Websites: Coronel, Gustavo. "The Corruption of Democracy in Venezuela." Cato Institute.USA.Today Magazine, Mar. 2008. Web. 11 Apr.2013. "Encyclopedia of the Nations." Venezuela Politics, Government, and Taxation, Information about Politics, Government, and Taxation in Venezuela . N.p., 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. Kovalik, Daniel. "The US Continues to Undermine Democracy in Venezuela." Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names. Counter Punch, 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. Toro, Francisco. "The New Republic." The New Republic. New Republic, 29 Sept. 2010.Web.11.Apr.2013. Walser, Ray. "Venezuela After Chavez: U.S. Should Rally to Democracy." The Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation, 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. Walser, Ray. "Venezuela: The Wrong President Takes Office." The Foundry Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation, 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.