Venezuela

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Venezuela
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Basic pre-1958 Timeline

• 1829-30 Venezuela secedes from Gran Colombia and
  becomes an independent republic with its capital
  at Caracas.
• 1870-88 - Venezuela governed by Antonio Guzman
  Blanco, who attracts foreign investment,
  modernizes infrastructure and develops
  agriculture and education.
• 1908-35 - Dictator Juan Vicente Gomez governs at
  a time when Venezuela becomes world's largest
  exporter of oil.
• 1947-48 - President Romulo Gallegos, Venezuela's
  first democratically elected leader, overthrown
  within eight months in military coup led by
  Marcos Perez Jimenez.
• 1958 - Perez Jimenez ousted Romulo Betancourt of
  the Democratic Action Party (AD) wins democratic
  presidential election.

Adapted from http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1
229348.stm
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(No Transcript)
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Pre-Chávez Timeline

• 1983-84 - Fall in world oil prices generates
  unrest and cuts in welfare spending Dr Jaime
  Lusinchi (AD) elected president and signs pact
  involving government, trade unions and business.
• 1989 - Carlos Andres Perez (AD) elected president
  against the background of economic depression,
  which necessitates an austerity program and an
  IMF loan. Social and political upheaval includes
  riots, in which between 300 and 2,000 people are
  killed, martial law and a general strike.
• 1992 - Some 120 people are killed in two
  attempted coups, the first led by future
  president Colonel Hugo Chavez, and the second
  carried out by his supporters. Chavez is jailed
  for two years before being pardoned.
• 1993-95 - Ramon Jose Velasquez becomes interim
  president after Perez is ousted on charges of
  corruption Rafael Caldera elected president.

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1993 Presidential Elections
Source http//pdba.georgetown.edu/Elecdata/Venez
uela/pres93.html
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1998 Election
http//pdba.georgetown.edu/Elecdata/Venezuela/pre9
8.html
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Hugo Chávez

• Breakdown of old system.
• Lack of a viable opposition.
• Populism.
• Oil.
• Center-left, Bolivarian, Socialism
• ALBA (Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America
  and the Caribbean)

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Hugo Chávez Key Dates

• Feb 1999 Takes office after winning 1998
  election
• July Re-elected under new constitution for a
  six-year term
• April 2002 Abortive coup. Chavez returns to
  power after two days
• August 2004 Wins recall referendum on whether he
  should serve out rest of his term
• Dec 2006 Wins another six-year term with 63
• Dec 2007 Loses constitutional referendum which
  included proposal to allow the president to run
  indefinitely for office
• Feb 2009 Wins referendum that lifts term limits
  on elected officials
• Source http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/35171
  06.stm

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1999 Constitutional Reform Referendum
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2000 Election
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2004 Referendum
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2006
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2007 Referendum
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2007 Referendum
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2009 Referendum
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More Hugo
http//www.poliblogger.com/?p13485
http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4453738.stm
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ALBA

• Members Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba,
  Dominica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Saint
  Vincent and the Grenadines, Venezuela

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Regional Left/Right