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Local Government & Elections

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

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Local Government & Elections

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  1. Local Government & Elections Venezuela

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. Juan Vicente Gómez (1908-1935 • 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

  5. Struggle to Consolidate Post-1958 Democracy Keeps Local Government Weak • Leftist insurgents threaten democratic governments • Centralized political parties resist decentralization • Party slates and proportional representation • Centralized political parties • AD (Social Democrats) • COPEI (Christian Democrats)

  6. 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 president • Close confidant of president • Controls budget • Controls police through office of prefect • Municipal Council weaker than in rest of the country

  7. Municipal Reforms of 1978 • Separate municipal elections • Soon after national elections • Retention 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

  8. Decentralization Reforms 1989-1990(Local Level) Impetus: economic downturn of “Black Friday The Caracazo February 27, 28, 1989 • 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

  9. Caracazo: Wake Up Call for PuntoFijo Democracy

  10. 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 influence • Parties themselves not decentralized • Party dominated national political institutions retain great capabilities to allocate resources

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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.

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