After Chávez, Future of Venezuelan Democracy Unclear

The death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez after a long battle with cancer was announced yesterday by Vice President Nicolás Maduro, who has assumed the presidency as interim leader. Chávez had served as Venezuela’s president for 14 years.

The news has led to widespread speculation over the future of Venezuela and the region. An expert who spoke with Trend Lines addressed what Chávez’s long absence from Venezuela’s political scene and his death might mean for Venezuelan democracy.

“What happened over the past three months, which is to say that a democratically elected president literally disappeared from his country and was not heard from, that’s not how democratic countries behave,” said Eric Farnsworth, vice president at the Council of the Americas and Americas Society. “That, coupled with the constitutional interpretations that have been going on, calls into question the democratic legitimacy of the transition.”

The Venezuelan constitution clearly states that elections must be held within 30 days of the death or incapacitation of the president, Farnsworth said. But he explained that cancer had incapacitated Chávez long before his death was announced yesterday, so elections should have already come and gone….

“That is a huge story that no one is focusing on because it is inconvenient,” Farnsworth continued, explaining that the story raises questions about whether Maduro should really be serving as the interim leader of the country. “Then you've got a constitutional crisis on your hands and that becomes politically complicated.”

As Trend Lines reported at the time, Chávez designated Maduro as his desired political successor in December. Chávez suggested first suggested three months ago that his health could interfere with his presidency. And in the months that followed, up until the official announcement of Chávez’s death by Maduro yesterday, confusion reigned about Chávez’s actual condition….
 

Access the full article here.