LOCAL GOVERNMENT & ELECTIONS

Venezuela

STRUCTURE OF THE VENEZUELAN MUNICIPALITY Analogous to the county in the United

States Includes both urban and rural areas In early times the boundaries of the

municipality’s built environment accommodated more than one city

Now a single urban built environment often spills over into several municipalities

VENEZUELAN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT: THE TRADITION Colonial Period

Playground for the Criollo elite

Role in independence movement

Post Independence decline Centralization Violence Recentralization

under “dictatorship light” of Guzman Blanco (1870 – 1888)

General José Antonio Guzmán Blanco

Personalistic Dictatorship Centralization of Political

Power Distrito – unit of local

government Distrito officials appointed

by the president Economic transformation Runs Venezuela like his

ranch Cattle deals used to build

the state Force and economic

incentives ensure loyalty of the inner circle

JUAN VICENTE GÓMEZ (1908-1935

STRUGGLE TO CONSOLIDATE POST-1958 DEMOCRACY KEEPS LOCAL

GOVERNMENT WEAK

Leftist insurgents threaten democratic governments

Centralized political parties resist decentralizationParty slates and proportional representationCentralized political parties

AD (Social Democrats) COPEI (Christian Democrats)

STRUGGLE TO CONSOLIDATE POST-1958 DEMOCRACY: FEDERAL DISTRICT GOVERNMENT IN CARACAS

Federal District includes part of Caracas with most centers of national government power

Federal District Governor named by the presidentClose confidant of presidentControls budgetControls police through office of prefect

Municipal Council weaker than in rest of the country

MUNICIPAL REFORMS OF 1978 Separate municipal elections

Soon after national electionsRetention of party slates and proportional

representation Creation of the role of city manager

President of Municipal Council as municipal executive

The situado Hierarchical political parties marginalize

the city manager

DECENTRALIZATION REFORMS 1989-1990

(LOCAL LEVEL)

Demands to participate

Demands for accountability

Increasing sophistication in “the interior”

Reduction in petroleum revenue

Two days of rioting in ten cities

200 + dead Dissatisfaction with

rule by centralized political parties

Impetus: economic downturn of “Black

Friday

The CaracazoFebruary 27, 28, 1989

CARACAZO: WAKE UP CALL FOR PUNTO FIJO DEMOCRACY

MUNICIPAL REFORMS OF 1988/1990:

Creation of office of popularly elected mayor

Strengthening of tax powers of municipio

Creation of elected neighborhood organizations (Juntas Parochiales)

Centralized political parties retain significant influenceParties themselves not decentralizedParty dominated national political

institutions retain great capabilities to allocate resources

CONSEQUENCES OF MUNICIPAL REFORMS

Fragmentation of the system of political parties National State & local

Government of Rafael Caldera bypasses municipio governments in distributing resources

Local political machines take shape Political bosses are only marginally more

responsible to local interest groups than were their centrally controlled predecessors

Corruption remains a major problem With the exception of Caracas – no efforts to

develop metropolitan political institutions

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE CONSTITUTION OF 1999

Government of President Hugo Chávez hostile to the decentralization reforms of 1989 – 90

Mechanism to coordinate and respond to demands from local governments not created

Following the failed coup of April 2004 President Chavez favors Communal Councils as an alternative to traditional forms of local government

TERRITORIAL REFORMS: CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM OF

DECEMBER 2007 Territorial reform as a component of

transformation to “Twenty-First Century Socialism”

Division of the territory into five regions Missions based in national government

distribute resources directly to the Communal Councils

Traditional structures of local government wither away.