2007年VOA标准英语-Venezuela's Chavez Puts Expanded Powers to Work

By Michael Bowman
Washington
15 February 2007

In late January, Venezuela's national assembly voted to allow President Hugo Chavez to rule by decree for an 18-month period. Since then, Mr. Chavez has moved quickly to nationalize the country's electricity and telecommunications sectors 1, confirmed plans to strip foreign companies of majority stakes in oil projects, and threatened to seize control of supermarkets and other retail 2 outlets 3. VOA's Michael Bowman reports, critics say the president's new powers are unprecedented 4, and constitute a severe blow to democratic rule.

 
President Hugo Chavez is sworn in by Assembly President Cilia Flores for another six-year term in Caracas, 10 Jan 2007
In a unanimous vote, Venezuela's national assembly, in effect, temporarily disbanded itself. Assembly President Cilia Flores was jubilant afterwards.

"Long live the sovereign nation of Venezuela," she said. "Long live Hugo Chavez. Long live socialism. Fatherland, socialism or death!"

Venezuela is now under one-man rule. Christopher Sabatini, a policy director at the New York-based Council of the Americas, says Venezuela's democratic institutions have been eroded 5 since Hugo Chavez came to power in 1998 - and his ability to rule by decree vastly accelerates that process.

"This is the most sweeping 6 power that has ever been given an elected president in Venezuela's history," he said. "This is the dismantling 7 of a democracy from within."

Venezuelan legal scholars say the country's constitution, like those of many democracies, does permit the president to rule by decree. But the mechanism 8 is intended for emergency situations, such as natural disasters, and only for brief periods of time.

"The ability to authorize 9 exceptional powers [to the executive] exists as a legal institution," said Venezuelan constitutional law expert Gerardo Fernandez. "What does not exist in our constitution, nor in any democratic constitution, is the abandonment of the legislative 10 process."

 
Teodoro Petkoff (Apr 2006)
Is Mr. Chavez a de facto dictator? Not yet, according to Venezuelan opposition 11 leader and magazine editor Teodoro Petkoff, who nonetheless says he is profoundly troubled by the president's expanded power.

"It opens the door to consolidate 12 what is already a feature of the regime: autocracy," he said. "In practical terms, this is an autocratic regime. All public power is concentrated in the executive, in Chavez. It eliminates whatever vestiges 13 may have existed of a counterweight to executive power."

For his part, Hugo Chavez downplays concerns, saying citizens can oppose any decree via a national referendum. Furthermore, he says strong measures are justified 14 in the pursuit of a socialist 15 future.

In a recent speech, he said, "History will absolve 16 us. The people will absolve us. We are turning the people's dreams into reality."

In December, President Chavez easily won reelection with more than 60 percent of the vote. Observers say his popularity has been bolstered 17 by heavy spending to provide medical care, educational opportunities, food and housing for the poor.

Yet some see trouble ahead for Venezuela - and Mr. Chavez.

 
An oil platform seen at Maracaibo lake in Cabimas, Venezuela (2005 file photo)
Massive oil revenues have sparked a consumer spending binge at a time of declining private investment and stagnant 18 domestic production. The end result has been shortages of basic goods and runaway 19 inflation.

President Chavez says his "21st Century socialism" program will bring prosperity to all Venezuelans. Christopher Sabatini is skeptical 20.

"What 21st Century socialism means, in the Venezuelan context, is basically the indiscriminate doling 21 out of petroleum 22 revenue," he said.

"That is what really lubricates this entire revolution. Socialism in the past was about the means of production - improving the means of production and sharing. There is very little being produced in Venezuela. What is happening is a grand program of state patronage 23 overseen 24 by Hugo Chavez," he continued.

Mr. Chavez is widely expected to press for constitutional reform eliminating presidential term limits. He has pledged to remain in power until the year 2030.