CIAO DATE: 07/02

Observing Political Change in Venezuela: The Bolivarian Constitution and 2000 Elections

Foreward

O n Dec. 6, 1998, Venezuelans clearly proclaimed their intense desire for change in their political life. The Carter Center observed those elections and concluded that they were a true expression of democracy. Since then, the majority of Venezuelans continued to support the radical reform program of President Hugo Chavez through five more elections and referenda. Other sectors, however, expressed concern that their voices were not being heard, and that the authorities charged with overseeing the elections and any disputes were not neutral. We, therefore, accepted the invitation of the Venezuela Electoral Council and the presidential candidates to return to Venezuela to monitor the 2000 electoral process.

We enlisted the support of the Council of Presidents and Prime Ministers of the Americas and were fortunate to have Luis Alberto Lacalle, former president of Uruguay, and Rodrigo Carazo, former president of Costa Rica, join us for pre-election visits and co-lead with me the election delegations. Rosalynn and I prepared to go for the scheduled May 28 elections and were en route when the Supreme Court announced its suspension. We felt that was a wise decision and decided to continue our trip, in the hopes of ensuring that all sides would calmly accept the ruling and Venezuelans would work together to address the problems necessitating the postponement.

We promised to return for the newly scheduled elections and were joined by a second group of dedicated international delegates, many of them returning after the May suspension. As always, the Venezuelan people, as well as their official represen-tatives, warmly received us. Although we con-cluded that the presidential election legitimately expressed the will of the people, we found serious flaws throughout the electoral process, beginning with the pressure to conduct the May elections prematurely and concluding with the continued delays in resolving the appeals for disputed elec-tions. We urge the National Electoral Council to resolve these appeals as soon as possible.

As Venezuela concludes a two-year period of intense electoral and political activity, we expect that the country and its leaders will turn their attention to the serious economic and social needs of its people. We hope that Venezuela will renew its democracy with strong and independent institu-tions, and that the voices of all its citizens will be heard so that Venezuela can serve as a model for a true participatory and representative democracy.

President Jimmy Carter
Chairman
The Carter Center

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