Venezuela Today: A 'Participative and Protagonistic' Democracy?

Abstract

Since the electoral victory of Chávez and his supporters--the so-called 'Polo Patriotico'--in December 1998, Venezuela has been undergoing a process of change in all aspects of its social life. Yet the political process during these eight years has been contradictory and stressful, with incipient effects that threaten to undermine its positive tendencies in the medium term. This process has unfolded in a context marked by high political polarization, in which powerful and conflicting interests, not only in Venezuelan society but also in the wider world, confront each other. For these reasons, information about Venezuela's evolution is usually of poor quality, difficult to access and interpret. This makes it all the more essential to have a critical analysis pointing out weaknesses as well as strengths so as to contribute some clarity to the debates taking place around current developments. This essay seeks to do this. To set the issues in the necessary context, a brief account is first offered of some of the factors which brought Chávez to power, and the most important events and socio-economic processes which occurred during his first term as president, and which condition the prospects for his second term.