Featured Articles - Constitution, Law & Judiciary

The September 18, 2008 Human Rights Watch report, “A Decade Under Chavez,” raises a few problems with regard to the protection of political rights in Venezuela, but the few places where it is on target are almost completely drowned in a sea of de-contextualization, trumped-up accusations, and a clear and obvious bias in favor of the opposition and against the government.

The following is an article-by-article summary of the changes being proposed to Venezuela's 1999 constitution. Venezuelans will vote on the reform on December 2^nd and will do so in two blocks. Block "A" includes President Chavez's original proposal and 13 articles introduced by the National Assembly. Block "B" includes another 26 reform articles proposed by the National Assembly. Voters may vote "Yes" or "No" on each block.

Although imperfect, no country anywhere is closer to a model democracy than Venezuela under President Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias. In contrast, none is a more shameless failure than the U.S.A., but it was true long before the age of George W. Bush.

In the same way that Marx was prepared to change his own views in the light of the Paris Commune, we have to think about socialism now in the light of the experiences of the 20th Century. Many of these lessons have been learned and are embodied in the Bolivarian Constitution of Venezuela.

Carlos Escarrá, a former Supreme Court judge and critical supporter of the Bolivarian process, talks about the controversial new Supreme Court law, the recall referendum, and the theory and practice of justice in Venezuela.

History of Constitutional Reform