The Book
In praise of Blogging the Revolution
“Caracas Chronicles has been an indispensable source of lucidity and perspective in these turbulent times in Venezuela. Toro and Nagel have been right on target, without pretending to be ludicrously impartial; they have been able to rise above polarization, trying hard to make sense of an often implausible reality. Blogging the Revolution shows them at their best. If you are not already a fan, you will become one.”
- Francisco J. Monaldi, RFK Visiting Professor at Harvard Kennedy School and Director, Center on Energy at IESA in Caracas.Recent Comments
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Category Archives: Constitution
Exactly how violated is the 1999 constitution?
The thoroughgoing collapse of law-based government in Venezuela has been a constant theme in this blog since 2002. But this week, in a time-wasting exercise of epic proportions, I decided to try to put a number to the timeless question: … Continue reading
Posted in Constitution
27 Comments
Oh, by the way …
I know Quico hates it when I post random bullet points of stuff, but there are several things I need to say, and I don’t have time today for an ellaborate post on each one: Don’t dwell too much on … Continue reading
Posted in Chavez cancer, Constitution, Henrique Capriles
40 Comments
Signatures, oaths, and robots
Constitutional lawyer José Ignacio Hernández has been writing up a storm over at Prodavinci. It figures – chavistas are violating laws so quickly it makes your head spin. It’s really hard to keep up. In his latest, not only does … Continue reading
Posted in Constitution
15 Comments
Surely Bertolt Brecht could not have done better…
A few years ago, Teodoro Petkoff made audiences guffaw with his bon mot about how, more and more, the Chávez government treats the Constitution as though it were a subversive pamphlet. Today, as we greet news that the government is … Continue reading
Posted in Constitution
9 Comments
Taking Stock
To get a sense of just how needless the constitutional crisis developing in Venezuela really is, let’s just step back from the play-by-play and take stock of where we are as of Wednesday, January 9th, 2013 – one day ahead … Continue reading
Posted in Constitution
21 Comments
VP Maduro: No inauguration on January 10th (Updated)
Minutes ago, the President of the National Assembly Diosdado Cabello just read a letter from Vice-President Nicolas Maduro, in which he indicates that President Hugo Chavez won’t attend the official inauguration of his third term of office (2013-2019), established to … Continue reading
Posted in Constitution, Diosdado Cabello, Nicolas Maduro, Politics
65 Comments
Capriles to foreign governments: Don’t cross this line
In a forceful performance today, Henrique Capriles outlined the opposition’s stance re. January 10th. With Lara Governor Henri Falcón by his side (Hint: these two are a team) the governor of Miranda warned foreign governments about endorsing the PSUV’s plans … Continue reading
Posted in Constitution, Henri Falcón, Henrique Capriles
30 Comments
Patently Obvious Chronicles
The trouble with the past is that it already happened. Take, for instance, this decision by the rojo, rojito Supreme Tribunal of Justice, dated May 26th, 2009 which touched on the suddenly all-so-topical question of whether you can exercise an office … Continue reading
Formalities in formaldehyde
One of the more salient points of these surreal times we are living through is that a Revolution spawned out of a formal oath in front of a tree … now considers oath-taking a mere “formality.” Part of the chavista argument … Continue reading
Posted in Constitution, Nicolas Maduro
43 Comments
The Living Constitution
As a lector avispao put it to me, the problem with my critique of the Maduro Doctrine is that I’m looking for the constitutional law in the wrong place. The source of genuinely binding norms in Venezuela these days isn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Constitution, Diosdado Cabello, Nicolas Maduro
69 Comments
Reflections on The Maduro Doctrine
Este post aparece en español en ProDaVinci. Kudos to vice-president Nicolás Maduro for his epoch-making contribution to Bolivarian Constitutional Doctrine in remarks on the Constitution’s Article 231 - you know, the one that specifies that the president-elect becomes the president by swearing … Continue reading
Adventures in supraconstitutionality
Everyone is focused on quirky Article 233 of Venezuela’s Constitution. But what about its freaky cousin, Article 231? Here is what it says, in my rough translation: Article 231. The candidate elected President will assume his or her role on … Continue reading
Posted in Chavez cancer, Constitution
76 Comments
Article 233 Chronicles (Updated)
Here is what Article 233 of our Constitution says (in my rough English translation): “Article 233. The following are considered “absolute absences” of the President: his death, his resignation, or his being deposed by a sentence from the Supreme Tribunal … Continue reading
Posted in Chavez cancer, Constitution, Diosdado Cabello, Nicolas Maduro, Politics
21 Comments
Constituyente-palooza!
Last weekend, State media outlets dedicated almost all of their programing to cover a series of small gatherings all across Venezuela, as part of something called “Constituent Process of the Second Socialist Plan of the Nation, 2013-2019″. Catchy title, wouldn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Chavismo, Constitution, Politics, Society
12 Comments
The only place in Venezuela without budget shortfall
Last week, the governors of the largest Venezuelan states (all of them part of the opposition) unsuccessfully asked for a meeting with President Hugo Chavez to discuss the huge funding shortfalls they’re facing. Most, if not all 23 States of … Continue reading
Posted in Chavismo, Constitution, Opposition, Politics, The Economy
4 Comments
