After ascending to the presidency in 1998, Chávez pursued a variety of reforms to consolidate his power. He effectively replaced the opposition-led Congress with a constitutional assembly and held referenda to expand his powers. Chávez also attacked the press by threatening and imprisoning dissident journalists and weakened civil society by establishing communal councils to do his bidding.

Democratic Erosion Under Chávez

Chávez weakened Venezuelan democracy through processes of democratic erosion, gradually consolidating his power and weakening his opponents in the process.

Wesleyan University

Many of the political and economic problems that currently afflict Venezuela stem from issues that began under Chávez’s rule.

Political and Economic Problems Under Chávez (1999-2013)

Haggard, S. & Kaufman, R. R. (2020). Backsliding: Democratic regress in the contemporary world: Appendix. In S. Haggard & R.R. Kaufman, Backsliding: Democratic regress in the contemporary world. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Haggard & Kaufman (2020) - Appendix

Political Problems Under Chávez

Chávez was able to institute poverty-reducing economic reforms during the early 2000s because the price of oil was high. However, by focusing on social programs to boost his popularity, Chávez neglected to invest in stabilization policies. He kept the Venezuelan economy almost entirely dependent on oil production, which would have disastrous consequences under Maduro once oil prices inevitably fell.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After