Session 6, Latin American Politics (POSC 221), Winter 2005

The Collapse of the Party System in Venezuela

Two Major Parties: Acción Democrática (Democratic Action, AD) and Comité de Organización Política Electoral Independiente (Organized Political Committee for Independent Elections, COPEI).

Popular dissent and official response: AD President Jaime Lusinchi (1983-89) and the Comisión Presidencial para la Reforma del Estado (Presidential Commission for the Reform of the State, COPRE).

External factors: the events of the Caracazo, the weakness of Carlos Andrés Pérez, two failed coup attempts in February and November 1992.

Endgame - the party system erodes:

Stage One: the effective number of parties doubles from 2.24 to 4.8 and opposition parties such as La Causa R, Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), and Convergencia Nacional (CN) make headway in national and subnational elections.

Stage Two: AD’s and COPEI’s share of the vote erode rapidly, falling for the presidency from 92.9% in 1988 to 46.3% in 1993 and for legislative office from 78.4% in 1988 to 46% in 1993.

Stage Three: Personal voting leads to system-wide party dealignment.

Stage Four: In December 1993, a coalition of MAS, CN and other smaller parties elected former president and COPEI founder, Rafael Caldera, president. But attempts to restore the old pacts among the major parties fail.

Stage Five: Caldera is ineffective. Former coup-plotter, Hugo Chávez, is elected in December 1998. His Constitution, which grants the president extraordinary decree authorities and a prolonged mandate (six years), is approved in late 1999.

Stage Six: The dominance of personalism (delegative democracy).