Venezuela President Seeks Power to Rule by Decree

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Venezuela President Seeks Power to Rule by Decree

CARACAS, Venezuela October 9, 2013 (AP)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has asked Congress to give him special decree-making powers that he says he needs to fight corruption and economic sabotage.

The opposition says Maduro is simply following the playbook of his late mentor, Hugo Chavez.

Four times during his 14 years as president, Chavez got the National Assembly to give him the power to rule by decree. In all, Chavez used the power to enact 200 legal changes that strengthened state control over Venezuela's economy.

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/venezuela-president-seeks-power-rule-decree-20510901

[ehcross]

1. Venezuela President Seeks Power

Nicolas Maduro is only a rookie, yet he is after a prize he never dreamed before.
Maduro has absolutely no education (formal or informal) to aspire to run a country, especially a complicated one. He was appointed by his mentor Hugo Chávez and is hell bent on constitutional reforms (all rookie dictators are). Trouble is that this one aspires to re-elections for life.

Venezuela has a history of dictatorships and no claim to benefit from them. Maduro is not clearly prepared for president of Venezuela, but it is clear that he intends to run, and win at all costs. A bloodbath is in the offing.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. It is about as controversial as executive signing statements, and completely normal in Venezuala.

In 1974, Congress gave President Carlos Andres Perez the right to "rule by decree" on a number of economic matters, which he used to pass a slew of new regulations-instituting a minimum wage increase, freezing the market price of "necessary" goods, instating tax relief on agricultural activities, increasing government pensions, and even establishing new state institutions, including the National Institute of Housing and an Industrial Development Fund.

But Perez was a close ally of the US government, so there was little controversy from Washington.

Ten years later, in May 1984, Congress again gave authority to the President, this time Jaime Lusinchi, to deal with the country's financial crisis by decree. He enacted a complicated exchange scheme, which was different for various sectors. For example, he extended a fixed exchange rate (4.3 bolivars to the dollar) for the payment of foreign debt and for Venezuelan students studying abroad; a second rate (6 bolivars to the dollar) for trade in the oil and iron industries; and a third (7.5 to 1) for the commercial and financial sectors. A fourth, "fluctuating dollar," constantly changing by market forces, was in use for everything else.

Nobody balked at all this, certainly not on the international scene. Lusinchi is remembered for hosting the first-ever visit of a Pope to Venezuela, and left office a few years later with what at the time was the highest approval ratings of an outgoing Venezuelan president.

In 1993, interim President Ramon Jose Velasquez used these special "decree" powers to retool the country's debt and reform the financial system. Once again, nobody-well, nobody remembers much about Velasquez at all. He was sort of a historical footnote, serving only 8 months in office.

So why all the finger-wagging, hand-wringing and label-slinging this time around? In short: because it's Chavez. The Bush administration has long been on a campaign to brand him a despot. His influence throughout Latin America is seen as a threat to U.S. power in the region, and after failed attempts to overthrow him by force, sabotage the nation's economy, and finance opposition parties, the label game is the last arrow they have in their increasingly feeble anti-Chavez quiver.

http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2199

[Bacchus4.0]

3. and now its Maduro.

Signing statements simply state that the president will not do something that compromises his constitutional authority. The president isn't ruling by decree. He isn't making the laws in the first place. Congress is making the underlying law that the president signs. Maduro would get to make law.

It certainly doesn't seem to have been a very effective tool has it? "In all, Chavez used the power to enact 200 legal changes that strengthened state control over Venezuela's economy." Those Chavez changes haven't worked out so well, just ask Maduro.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Perspective and FACTS never hurt, do they? They do crimp the effectiveness

of the hate machine, which moves forward only on a thick cushion of illusion and whoppers.

Thank you for this factual article. We never get the facts from our corporate "news" media regarding Latin America.

If there's something they want us to know, they have to wait until someone makes it up to print it.

[Socialistlemur]

7. I suppose because he is asking for power to police himself?

Most of the corruption within the current regime is a result of the system and structures installed by Chavez and continued by Maduro. So the corruption is a chavista problem. Asking for the power to legislate against corruption when corruption is deep inside his party and his government is a key sign he just wants to paper over the issue, or use it to implement selective repressive tactics against those within and without the regime who are opposed to the Cuban takeover.

This is a very interesting case, the cubans are in a sense ruling through Maduro and are trying to rationalize a really distorted and idiotic system set up by Chavez. But the Cubans also have internal conflicts. They are now migrating from Stalinist socialism to become fascists and capitalists. And this creates breaks in their ranks. So they are giving Maduro mixed orders, and things are falling apart.

The Cuban influence is seen clearly. They have a deep seated tendency to blame everything on the Yankees and the traitorous middle class. And they also like violence. Violence and repression is in their blood line because that's what the dinosaur used for over 50 years to keep that dictatorship alive in Havana.

So why pay attention to the events? It's a really interesting game, the destruction of a country and its people by a gang of thieves and traitors. The takeover by a foreign regime which claims to be communist but right now is just the degenerate remains of a movement without steam, run by fascists who want power and money.

As for Venezuelanalysis tell Eva Golinger her time is up. Everybody is onto her sleazy propaganda, and by the time this is over nothng she writes will make a dent. That regime in Caracas will be seen as a flash in the pan within the attempt by Raul Castro to create a fascist mini empire. The interesting fact is that when that pile of garbage falls, the blow will come from their own "friends". This won't be the Yankee empire acting, it will be nations which will cut Maduro's throat for being so, so incredibly stupid.

[ehcross]

4. Why would a presidential candidate ask Congress to give him special decree-making powers?

First, because Maduro is a coward. He is really very much afraid that someone is going to kill him.
He often shows his determination to get what he wants.
He is a showman with an apparent lack of conviction.

Venezuelans were mesmerized by Hugo Chávez's sharp ability to persuade the crowd. Maduro simply does not convince.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Venezuelan fascists despised Chavez, were NOT mesmerized, as you know.

There has been a strange disease creeping into the minds of fascists in the U.S., on message boards after Hugo Chavez died. In their haste to start piling on the filthy hatred of Maduro, they also have pathetically started making claims to have moderate, or benign feelings toward Hugo Chavez' memory, which, as every one knows, is an appalling lie.

The people of Venezuela loved Hugo Chavez. The right-wing slime abhorred, mocked, slurred, slandered him at every turn.

[Socialistlemur]

8. Chavez was a bum, Maduro is a traitor and an idiot

Objectively speaking, it's easy to see Chavez was a bum. He had the benefit of oil income the likes of which Venezuela never saw, with oil exceeding $100 per barrel. Most of which he wasted. He left behind such corruption, it sucked incredible amounts of funds from government accounts. This bleeding was covered by Chavez borrowing over $200 billion dollars. The economy was destroyed by stupid nationalizations, stupid currency controls, and stupid government officials. So what did Maduro inherit? A mess created by a bum.

Maduro is quite stupid as well. Some would call him an imbecile. Is said he was picked by Chavez when he was under Cuban influence, because the Cubans had set up Maduro as their mole many years before. In any case, there you have Maduro, your hero. What has he accomplished since he took,over? He has accomplished a lot, making the economy even worse, increasing inflation, creating more polarization, preaching more hatred, and showing to the people he isn't fit to drive a bus, never mind run a country.

Whether some people in Venezuela loved Chavez is really irrrelevant now. Chavez is dead. That religious cult didn't take off to cover reality. So the peregrinations to the mountain to worship a pile of bones won't do much for your health, Chavistas. Chavez is over. Now you are stuck with Maduro and with Castro. Learn to live with that ugly reality, your heroes are an idiot and two senile dinosaurs. And to make it even more bitter, they are now fascists and will implement capitalism as they see fit.

[Judi Lynn]

10. I happen to have an image showing Maduro being controlled by Cubans.

[center]

Earliest glimpse of his bondage to Cubans





They are coming for you!



The damage is horrendous.[/center]

[Bacchus4.0]

9. ruling by decree is a trait of fascist government.

I never liked Chavez. The state of Venezuela now is a result of CHavez' policies. Maduro is a bumbling idiot, Chavez was a clown with leadership qualities at least I guess.

[Bacchus4.0]

11. Enabling Act of 1933

The Enabling Act (German: Ermächtigungsgesetz) was a 1933 amendment to the Weimar Constitution that gave the German Cabinet – in effect, Chancellor Adolf Hitler – the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag. It passed in both the Reichstag and Reichsrat on 23 March 1933, and was signed by President Paul von Hindenburg later that day. The act stated that it was to last four years unless renewed by the Reichstag, which occurred twice. For all intents and purposes, the Enabling Act gave Hitler plenary powers and made him the dictator of Germany. It followed on the heels of the Reichstag Fire Decree, which abolished most civil liberties and transferred state powers to the Reich government. The combined effect of these two bills was to bring the Weimar Republic to an end.

[Bacchus4.0]

12. the Venezuelan opposition actually makes an excellent proposal, a referendum on the enabling law

http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/131009/bancada-de-la-unidad-propone-hacer-referendo-consultivo-sobre-habilita


and put the chavistas in the position of having to reject the proposal (since they would lose).