Opinion News Analysis by Hala Al Taher, Staff Writer

November 8th, 2020

For years now, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has been suffering from a crippling economy, public violence, and oppressions of freedoms on various fronts. Many of the country’s issues intensified, or arguably came to the existence, following President Nicolas Maduro’s first election in 2013. Consequently, President Maduro’s re-election in 2018 naturally took many Venezuelan citizens and politicians by surprise.  However, being a country with alarming levels of corruption, how surprised should one be about President Maduro’s victory? Corrupt nations are informally characterized by unwanted leaders who overstay their rule. Although, President Maduro has secured a second term in office, rising opposition domestically and internationally could potentially terminate his term earlier than anticipated as previously attempted in his first term. 

To contextualize and understand the matter in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, one must look into the governmental structure, electoral system, and the constitution of the country. The governmental structure in Venezuela is a Federal Republic. This means that there remains several states under the rule of one government; Venezuela consists of twenty states and two federal terrains, and a federal constituency (Caracas). Further, Venezuela consists of numerous islands in the Caribbean. The ruling style of Venezuela as a whole is having smaller state governments and the central government in Caracas. The smaller governments of states and municipalities are merely symbolic in practice. Conversely, the central government in Caracas dominates. 

The executive branch of the government in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is composed of the president and the vice president. The electoral system followed for the executive branch is a plurality system. In Venezuela, the president’s term is characterized by a duration of six years. Despite the lengthy term period, the president can run for a consecutive second term.  The current president, President Nicolas Maduro, who is currently serving his second term, won the elections by only one-point five percent more votes than his opponent Henrique Capriles in April 2013. Under his rule, inflation skyrocketed in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the situation in the country became chaotic in the social and economic realms. 

More concerningly, President Maduro oppresses opposition, detains citizens who oppose him, and is driving the country into a total dictatorship.

Following his first term, President Maduro was successfully re-elected in May 2018 in order to serve his second term. Many politicians believe that the election was rigged and that force was used to ensure his votes, which is believable taking into consideration the poor job he performed during his first term. Suspicions behind his success in securing his second term, along with widespread discontent with his elections, led to attempts to remove him from office. Opposition groups organized a call for popular consultation in order to remove President Maduro from office. The popular consultation is meant to be held in order to disclaim President Maduro’s government. The popular consultation was firstly suggested by Juan Guaido, the leader of the opposition groups. Juan Guaido is considered by many the legitimate president if it was not for Maduro’s questionable re-election.

Calls for President Nicolas Maduro’s removal from office are not limited to the national scope. Neighboring countries and the United States of America’s Secretary General share the Venezuelan opposition’s view regarding President Maduro’s ruling and re-election.

The United States of America’s Secretary General, Mike Pompeo, highlighted the importance of President Maduro leaving office following his visit to Brazil, Colombia, and Guyana. The country’s diplomat argued that President Maduro is depriving the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela’s citizens of a democratic ruling system. Moreover, Secretary General Mike Pompeo stresses the need for democracy in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. 

On a concluding remark, it is worth mentioning that about five million Venezuelans have emigrated from Venezuela as a result of President Maduro’s resource mismanagement, and oppression of freedoms. Though the country was rich with oil, it now has one of the worst economies in the world. 

References

Attempts to remove Maduro from office. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicolas-Maduro/Attempts-to-remove-Maduro-from-office

Herrero, A., & Specia, M. (2019, January 10). Venezuela Is in Crisis. So How Did Maduro Secure a Second Term? Retrieved October 27, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/world/americas/venezuela-maduro-inauguration.html

Oré, A. (2016, October 21). Venezuela is on edge after a referendum to remove Nicolas Maduro was blocked. Retrieved October 27, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/venezuela-on-edge-after-referendum-to-remove-maduro-blocked-2016-10

Venezuela's opposition prepares popular consultation to reject Maduro. (2020, October 19). Retrieved October 27, 2020, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-idUSKBN2742ER