Editing Hugo Chávez (section)

==Presidency (1999–2013) ==
{{further|History of Venezuela (1999–present)}}

===First presidential term: 2 February 1999 – 10 January 2001===
[[File:Hugo Chávez sworn in 1999.png|thumb|Chávez when he was sworn in on 2 February 1999]]
Chávez's presidential inauguration took place 2 February 1999. He deviated from the usual words of the presidential oath when he took it, proclaiming: "I swear before God and my people that upon this ''moribund'' constitution I will drive forth the necessary democratic transformations so that the new republic will have a [[Magna Carta]] befitting these new times".<ref name="ReferenceA">[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. p. 127.</ref> Freedom in Venezuela suffered following "the decision of President Hugo Chávez, ratified in a national referendum, to abolish congress and the judiciary, and by his creation of a parallel government of military cronies".<ref name=FH1999>{{cite web|title=Venezuela Country report Freedom in the World 1999|url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/1999/venezuela|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728033454/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/1999/venezuela|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 July 2016|website=[[Freedom House]]|access-date=28 July 2016|date=28 July 2016}}</ref> Soon after being established into office, Chávez spent much of his time attempting to abolish existing [[checks and balances]] in Venezuela.<ref name=FH1999/> He appointed new figures to government posts, adding leftist allies to key positions and "army colleagues were given a far bigger say in the day-to-day running of the country".<ref name=FH1999/> For instance, he put [[MBR-200|Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200]] founder {{Interlanguage link|Jesús Urdaneta|es}} in charge of the [[National Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services]] and made {{Interlanguage link|Hernán Grüber Ódreman|es}}, one of the 1992 coup leaders, governor of the Federal District of Caracas.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} His critics referred to these government officials as the "[[Boliburguesía]]" or "Bolivarian bourgeoisie",<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. p. xx.</ref><ref>[[#Rom10|Romero 2010]].</ref> and highlighted that it "included few people with experience in public administration".<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The number of his immediate family members in Venezuelan politics also led to accusations of [[nepotism]].<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. pp. 250–55.</ref> Chávez appointed businessman Roberto Mandini president of the state-run oil company [[Petroleos de Venezuela]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB917899013133273000|title=PDVSA Names Mandini To Head State Oil Firm|date= 2 February 1999|agency=Dow Jones Newswires|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=27 June 2016}}</ref>

Although Chávez did not believe, as he put it in 1998, "in this paradigm of the Western capitalist, bourgeois democratic world,"<ref>Biardeau R. Javier . Del Árbol de las Tres Raíces al "Socialismo Bolivariano del siglo XXI" ¿Una nueva narrativa ideológica de emancipación?. Revista Venezolana de Economía y Ciencias Sociales [en linea]. 2009, 15(1), 57–113[fecha de Consulta 30 de Agosto de 2024]. ISSN: 1315-6411. Disponible en: https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=17721678005</ref> he initially believed that capitalism was still a valid economic model for Venezuela, but only [[Rhenish capitalism]], not [[neoliberalism]].<ref name="Hard Talk">[[#SacCha10|Sackur and Chávez 2010]].</ref> Low oil prices made Chavez's government reliant on international free markets during his first months in office, when he showed pragmatism and political moderation, and continued to encourage foreign investment in Venezuela.<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. pp. 148–49.</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last1=Millard |first1=Peter |last2=Hoffman |first2=Cindy |last3=Gertz |first3=Marisa |last4=Lin |first4=Jeremy C. F. |title=A Timeline of Venezuela's Economic Rise and Fall |work=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2019-venezuela-key-events/ |access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref> During a visit to the United States in 1999, he rang the closing bell at the [[New York Stock Exchange]]. His administration held formal talks with the [[International Monetary Fund]] until oil prices rose enough to let the government rule out the need for any financial assistance.<ref name=":1" />

Beginning 27 February 1999, the tenth anniversary of the ''[[Caracazo]]'', Chávez set into motion a social welfare program called [[Plan Bolívar 2000]]. He said he had allotted $20.8&nbsp;million for the plan. The plan involved 70,000 soldiers, sailors and members of the air force repairing roads and hospitals, removing stagnant water that offered breeding areas for disease-carrying mosquitoes, offering free medical care and vaccinations, and selling food at low prices.<ref name="USb2000">{{cite web |title=Venezuelan Soldiers Leave Their Barracks ... To Implement Chavez's Civil-Military Public Works Program |url= https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/143547.pdf |publisher=United States Department of State |access-date=23 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231100518/https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/143547.pdf |archive-date = 31 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. p. 138.</ref> Several [[scandals]] later affected the program as allegations of corruption were formulated against generals involved in the plan and that significant amounts of money had been diverted.<ref>[http://www.analitica.com/va/politica/opinion/6999189.asp Opinión y análisis – ¿Sabe el Ejército de Corrupción?<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306040647/http://www.analitica.com/va/politica/opinion/6999189.asp|date=6 March 2012}}</ref>

====Constitutional reform====
Chávez called a public referendum, which he hoped would support his plans to form a [[1999 Constituent Assembly of Venezuela|constituent assembly]] of representatives from across Venezuela and from indigenous tribal groups to rewrite the Venezuelan constitution.<ref name="ReferenceB">[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. p. 130.</ref> Chávez said he had to run again; "Venezuela's socialist revolution was like an unfinished painting and he was the artist", he said,<ref name=chavshow /> while someone else "could have another vision, start to alter the contours of the painting".<ref name=chavshow />

There was a low turnout of 37.65% and an abstention of 62.35%, 88% of the voters supported his proposal.<ref name="ReferenceB" /><ref name="CONS">{{cite book |last1=Rory |first1=Carroll |title=Comandante : Hugo Chavez's Venezuela |date=2014 |publisher=New York |isbn=978-0143124887 |location=Penguin Books |page=41}}</ref>

Chávez called an election on 25 July to elect the members of the constituent assembly. Over 900 of the 1,171 candidates standing for election were Chávez opponents. To elect the members of the assembly, Chávez used a formula designed by mathematical experts and politicians, known at the time as the ''kino'' (lottery) or the "keys of Chávez". Chávez obtained 51% of the votes, but his supporters took 95% of the seats, 125 in total, including all of the seats assigned to indigenous groups, while the opposition won six seats.<ref name=":2">{{Harvsp|Márquez|Sanabria|2018|p=152}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Harvsp|Arráiz Lucca|2007|p=199}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref name="InternationalCrisisGroup05">[[#Int07|International Crisis Group 2007]]. p. 05.</ref>

On 12 August 1999, the new constituent assembly voted to give themselves the power to abolish government institutions and to dismiss officials who were perceived as corrupt or as operating only in their own interests. Opponents of the Chávez regime argued that it was dictatorial.<ref>[[#Bel99|Belos 1999]].</ref> Most jurists believed that the new constituent assembly had become the country's "supreme authority" and that all other institutions were subordinate to it.<ref name="Gott">
{{cite book|last=Gott|first=Richard|title=Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian revolution|year=2005|publisher=Verso|location=London [u.a.]|isbn=978-1844675333|page=147|edition=New}}</ref> The assembly also declared a "judicial emergency" and granted itself the power to overhaul the judicial system. The Supreme Court ruled that the assembly did indeed have this authority, and was replaced in the 1999 Constitution with the Supreme Tribunal of Justice.<ref name="Nelson1">
{{cite book|last1=Nelson|first1=Brian A.|title-link= The Silence and the Scorpion |title=The silence and the scorpion : the coup against Chávez and the making of modern Venezuela|date=2009|publisher=Nation Books|location=New York|isbn=978-1568584188|pages=1–8}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/31/world/venezuelan-congress-stripped-of-its-last-remaining-powers.html|title = Venezuelan Congress Stripped of Its Last Remaining Powers|date = 31 August 1999|access-date = 15 May 2015|newspaper = The New York Times|last = Rohter|first = Larry}}</ref> The constituent assembly put together [[1999 Venezuelan Constitution|a new constitution]],<ref name="CONS" /> which was voted on at a referendum in December 1999. Seventy-two percent of those who voted approved of the new constitution. There was a low turnout and an abstention vote of over 50%.<ref name="InternationalCrisisGroup05" /> The new constitution provided protections for the environment and indigenous people, socioeconomic guarantees and state benefits, while giving greater powers to the president.<ref name=CONS/><ref name="InternationalCrisisGroup06">[[#Int07|International Crisis Group 2007]]. p. 06.</ref> The presidential term was extended to six years, and a president was allowed to serve for two consecutive terms. Previously, a sitting president could not run for reelection for 10 years after leaving office. It also replaced the bicameral Congress with a unicameral Legislative Assembly and gave the president the power to legislate on citizen rights, to promote military officers and to oversee economic and financial matters.<ref name=CONS/><ref name="InternationalCrisisGroup06"/> The assembly also gave the military a mandated role in the government by empowering it to ensure public order and aid national development, which the previous constitution had expressly forbidden.<ref name="InternationalCrisisGroup06" />

In the new constitution, the country, until then officially known as the Republic of Venezuela, was renamed the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (República Bolivariana de Venezuela) at Chávez's request.<ref name="InternationalCrisisGroup05" /> Chávez's actions following the ratification the 1999 Venezuelan constitution government weakened many of Venezuela's checks and balances, allowing the government to control every branch of the Venezuelan government for over 15 years after it passed until the [[2015 Venezuelan parliamentary election|Venezuelan parliamentary election in 2015]].<ref name=FH1999/><ref>
{{cite news
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In May 2000 he launched his own Sunday morning radio show, ''[[Aló Presidente]]'' (''Hello, President''), on the state radio network. This followed an earlier Thursday night television show, ''De Frente con el Presidente'' (''Face to Face with the President'').<ref name="petro">
{{cite book |first=Jeff |last=Colgan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=enReCU97-zQC |title=Petro-Aggression: When Oil Causes War |date=31 January 2013 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1107029675 |page=209 |language=en |quote=For Chávez the show accomplishes a number of political objectives. First, it sustains and builds popular support for his leadership. By spending hours each week in front of a camera Chávez reinforces the message that he is the leader of his political movement and the government of Venezuela, its living symbol. Second, the television show is oriented to, and popular among, the lower classes of Venezuela who have traditionally remained outside of the political process. |access-date=27 June 2016 |via=Google Books}}
</ref> He founded two newspapers, ''El Correo del Presidente'' (''The President's Post''), founded in July, for which he acted as editor-in-chief, and ''Vea'' (''See''), another newspaper, as well as ''Question'' magazine and Vive TV.<ref name="petro" /> ''El Correo'' was later shut down among accusations of corruption and mismanagement.<ref>
[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. pp. 193–95.
</ref> In his television and radio shows, he answered calls from citizens, discussed his latest policies, sang songs and told jokes.<ref name="petro" />

In June 2000 he separated from his wife Marisabel, and their divorce was finalised in January 2004.<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. p. 243.</ref>

===Second presidential term: 10 January 2001 – 10 January 2007===
Under the new constitution, it was legally required that new elections be held in order to re-legitimize the government and president. This [[2000 Venezuelan presidential election|presidential election in July 2000]] would be a part of a greater "megaelection", the first time in the country's history that the president, governors, national and regional congressmen, mayors and councilmen would be voted for on the same day.<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. p. 140.</ref> Going into the elections, Chávez had control of all three branches of government.<ref name=Nelson1/> For the position of president, Chávez's closest challenger proved to be his former friend and co-conspirator in the 1992 coup, [[Francisco Arias Cárdenas]], who since becoming a governor of Zulia state had turned towards the political centre and begun to denounce Chávez as autocratic. Some of his supporters feared that he had alienated those in the middle class and the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy who had formerly supported him. Chávez was re-elected with 60% of the vote, a larger majority than his 1998 electoral victory.<ref name="ReferenceC">[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. p. 141.</ref><ref name="Ramírez 2005. p. 79">[[#Ram05|Ramírez 2005]]. p. 79.</ref>

That year, Chávez improved ideological ties with the Cuban government of Fidel Castro by signing an agreement under which Venezuela would supply Cuba with 53,000 barrels of oil per day at preferential rates, in return receiving 20,000 trained Cuban medics and educators. In the ensuing decade, this would be increased to 90,000 barrels a day (in exchange for 40,000 Cuban medics and teachers), dramatically aiding the Caribbean island's economy and standard of living after its "[[Special Period]]" of the 1990s.<ref name="convenio">{{cite news |title=Conozca los acuerdos petroleros que dejó Hugo Chávez|url=http://www.finanzasdigital.com/2014/08/conozca-los-acuerdos-petroleros-que-dejo-hugo-chavez/|page=Finanzas Digital|date=22 August 2014|access-date=3 June 2017}}</ref> However, Venezuela's growing alliance with Cuba came at the same time as a deteriorating relationship with the United States. Chávez opposed of the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|2001 American-led invasion of Afghanistan]] in response to the [[11 September attacks]] against the U.S. by Islamist militants. In late 2001, Chávez showed pictures on his television show of children said to be killed in a bombing attack. He commented that "They are not to blame for the terrorism of [[Osama bin Laden]] or anyone else", called on the American government to end "the massacre of the innocents", and describing the war as "fighting terrorism with terrorism." The U.S. government responded negatively to the comments, which were picked up by the media worldwide<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. pp. 208–09.</ref> and recalled its ambassador for consultations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/03/world/us-irritated-by-criticism-calls-envoy-home-from-venezuela.html|title=U.S., Irritated by Criticism, Calls Envoy Home From Venezuela|last=Rohter|first=Larry|date=3 November 2001|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

[[File:Mision robinson wayuu by Franklin Reyes.png|thumb|left|Chávez's second term in office saw the implementation of social missions, such as this one to eliminate illiteracy in Venezuela]]

Meanwhile, the 2000 elections had led to Chávez's supporters gaining 101 out of 165 seats in the Venezuelan National Assembly, and so in November 2001 they voted to allow him to pass 49 social and economic decrees. This move antagonized the opposition movement particularly strongly.<ref name="InternationalCrisisGroup07"/><ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. p. 143.</ref> At the start of the 21st century, Venezuela was the world's fifth largest exporter of [[crude oil]], with oil accounting for 85% of the country's exports, therefore dominating the country's economy. Before the election of Chávez, the state-run oil company, [[Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.]] (PDVSA) ran autonomously, making oil decisions based on internal guidance to increase profits.<ref name=":5">Wiseman, Colin and Daniel Béland. "The Politics of Institutional Change in Venezuela: Oil Policy During the Presidency of Hugo Chávez." ''Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies,'' Vol 35, No. 70 (2010), pp. 141–164. ''JSTOR''. Accessed 3 November 2018.</ref> Once he came to power, Chávez started directing PDVSA and effectively turned it into a direct government arm whose profits would be injected into social spending.<ref name=":5" /> The result of this was the creation of "[[Bolivarian missions]]", oil funded social programs targeting poverty, literacy, hunger, and more.<ref name=":5" /> In 2001, the government introduced a new Hydrocarbons Law through which it sought to gain greater state control over the oil industry. The law increased the transnational companies taxation in oil extraction activities to 30% and set the minimum state participation in "mixed companies" at 51%, whereby the state-run oil company, [[Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.]] (PDVSA), could have joint control with private companies over industry.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=27 July 2006|archive-date=17 August 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060817050451/http://www.mpd.gov.ve/decretos_leyes/Leyes/ley_hidrocarburos.pdf|title=Ley Orgánica de Hidrocarburos aprobada en 2001|url=http://www.mpd.gov.ve/decretos_leyes/Leyes/ley_hidrocarburos.pdf}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>{{Primary source inline|date=December 2022}} By 2006, all of the 32 operating agreements signed with private companies during the 1990s had been converted from being primarily or privately run to being at least 51% controlled by PDVSA.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} Chávez had also removed many of the managers and executives of PdVSA and replaced them with political allies, stripping the state-owned company expertise.<ref name=":6">{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/16/how-venezuela-struck-it-poor-oil-energy-chavez/|title=How Hugo Chávez Blew Up Venezuela's Oil Patch|last=Johnson|first=Keith|date=16 July 2018|website=[[Foreign Policy]]|language=en|access-date=21 July 2018|quote=The fuse for the bomb that is now blowing up Venezuela’s oil industry – and the country along with it – was deliberately lit and fanned by ... the strongman Hugo Chávez ...}}</ref>

====Opposition and the Coordinadora Democrática====
Much of Chávez's opposition originated from the response to the "cubanization" of Venezuela.<ref name="Nelson1"/> Chávez's popularity dropped due to his relationship with Fidel Castro and Cuba, with Chávez attempting to make Venezuela in Cuba's image.<ref name=Nelson1/> Chávez, following Castro's example, consolidated the country's [[bicameral legislature]] into a single [[National Assembly (Venezuela)|National Assembly]] that gave him more power<ref name=CONS/> and created community groups of loyal supporters allegedly trained as paramilitaries.<ref name=Nelson1/> Such actions created great fear among Venezuelans who felt like they were tricked and that Chávez had dictatorial goals.<ref name=Nelson1/>

The first organized protest against the Bolivarian government occurred in January 2001, when the Chávez administration tried to implement educational reforms through the proposed Resolution 259 and Decree 1.011, which would have seen the publication of textbooks with a heavy Bolivarian bias. Parents noticed that such textbooks were really Cuban books filled with [[Bolivarian propaganda|revolutionary propaganda]] outfitted with different covers. The protest movement, which was primarily by middle-class parents whose children went to privately run schools, marched to central Caracas shouting out the slogan ''Con mis hijos no te metas'' ("Don't mess with my children"). Although the protesters were denounced by Chávez, who called them "selfish and individualistic", the protest was successful enough for the government to retract the proposed education reforms and instead enter into a consensus-based educational program with the opposition.<ref name=Nelson1/><ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. pp. 143–45.</ref>

Later into 2001, an organization known as the ''{{lang|es|[[Coordinadora Democrática (Venezuela)|Coordinadora Democrática de Acción Cívica]]}}'' (Democratic Coordinator, CD) was founded, under which the Venezuelan opposition political parties, corporate powers, most of the country's media, the [[Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce]], the Institutional Military Front and the [[Central Workers Union]] all united to oppose Chávez's regime.<ref name="InternationalCrisisGroup07">[[#Int07|International Crisis Group 2007]]. p. 7.</ref><ref>[[#Ram05|Ramírez 2005]]. p. 80.</ref> The prominent businessman [[Pedro Carmona]] (1941–) was chosen as the CD's leader.<ref name="InternationalCrisisGroup07"/> [[File:Hugo Chávez on USS Yorktown.jpg|thumb|right|Chávez visiting the [[USS Yorktown (CG-48)|USS ''Yorktown'']], a U.S. Navy ship docked at [[Curaçao]] in the [[Netherlands Antilles]], in 2002]] The Coordinadora Democrática and other opponents of Chávez's Bolivarian government accused it of trying to turn Venezuela from a democracy into a dictatorship by centralising power among its supporters in the Constituent Assembly and granting Chávez increasingly autocratic powers. Many of them pointed to Chávez's personal friendship with Cuba's Fidel Castro and the [[Politics in Cuba|one-party socialist government in Cuba]] as a sign of where the Bolivarian government was taking Venezuela.<ref name="InternationalCrisisGroup07"/>

====Coup, strikes and the recall referendum====
{{Main|2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt|Venezuelan general strike of 2002–2003|Venezuelan recall referendum, 2004}}
[[File:Anti-chavez march.jpg|thumb|A 2004 rally against Chávez in [[Caracas]], demanding [[Recall election|his removal from the presidency]]]]

Chávez sought to make PDVSA his main source of funds for political projects and replaced oil experts with political allies to support him with this initiative.<ref name=":6" /> In early-2002, he placed a leftist professor as the president of PDVSA.<ref name=":6" /> In April 2002, Chávez appointed his allies to head the PDVSA and replaced the company's board of directors with loyalists who had "little or no experience in the oil industry", mocking the PDVSA executives on television as he fired them.<ref name=":6" /><ref name="CNNoil">{{cite news|last=Kahn|first=Jeremy|title=Pumping Trouble: A strike in Venezuela has raised temperatures in Caracas and oil prices around the world.|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2003/02/03/336466/|access-date=21 April 2014|newspaper=CNN|date=3 February 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422232750/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2003/02/03/336466/ |archive-date=22 April 2014}}</ref> Anger with Chávez's decisions led to civil unrest in Venezuela, which culminated in an attempted coup.<ref name=":6" /> On 11 April 2002, [[Llaguno Overpass events|during a march headed to the presidential palace]],<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. pp. 171–72.</ref> nineteen people were killed, and over 110 were wounded.<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. p. 168.</ref>

Chávez believed that the best way to stay in power was to implement [[Plan Ávila]].<ref name="p121134NELSON2">{{cite book|title-link= The Silence and the Scorpion |title=The silence and the scorpion : the coup against Chávez and the making of modern Venezuela|last1=Nelson|first1=Brian A.|date=2009|publisher=Nation Books|isbn=978-1568584188|edition=online|location=New York|pages=121–134}}</ref> Military officers, including General [[Raúl Baduel]], a founder of Chávez's [[MBR-200]], then decided that they had to pull support from Chávez to deter a massacre<ref name="p121134NELSON2"/> and shortly after at 8:00&nbsp;pm, Vásquez Velasco, together with other ranking army officers, declared that Chávez had lost his support.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Chávez agreed to be detained and was transferred by army escort to [[La Orchila]]; business leader [[Pedro Carmona]] declared himself president of an interim government.<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. pp. 175–84.</ref> Carmona abolished the 1999 constitution and appointed a governing committee. Protests in support of Chávez along with insufficient support for Carmona's government quickly led to Carmona's resignation, and Chávez was returned to power on 14 April.<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. pp. 181–85.</ref>

Chávez's response was to moderate his approach,{{Disputed inline|date=April 2020}} implementing a new economic team that appeared to be more centrist and reinstated the old board of directors and managers of the state oil company [[Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.]] (PDVSA), whose replacement had been one of the reasons for the coup.<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. p. 185.</ref> At the same time, the Bolivarian government began to increase the country's military capacity, purchasing 100,000 [[AK-47]] assault rifles and several helicopters from Russia, as well as a number of [[Super Tucano]] light attack and training planes from Brazil. Troop numbers were also increased.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

Chávez faced a [[Venezuelan general strike of 2002-2003|two-month management strike]] at the PDVSA.<ref name="BBCoil">{{cite news|last=Ceaser|first=Mike|title=Venezuelans hit by oil crisis|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1913893.stm|access-date=21 April 2014|newspaper=BBC|date=5 April 2002}}</ref> The Chávez government's response was to fire about 19,000 striking employees for abandoning their posts and then employing retired workers, foreign contractors, and the military to do their jobs instead.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} The total firing of tens of thousands of employees by Chávez would forever damage Venezuela's oil industry due to the tremendous loss of expertise.<ref name=":6" /> By 2005, the members of Venezuela's energy ministries stated it would take more than 15 years for PDVSA to recover from Chávez's actions.<ref name=":6" />

The 1999 constitution had introduced the concept of a recall referendum into Venezuelan politics, so the opposition called for such a referendum to take place. The resulting [[2004 Venezuelan recall referendum|2004 referendum to recall Chávez]] was unsuccessful. 70% of the eligible Venezuelan population turned out to vote, with 59% of voters deciding to keep the president in power.<ref name="Ramírez 2005. p. 79"/>

===="Socialism of the 21st century"====
[[File:Chavez e Lula.jpg|thumb|Hugo Chávez and Brazilian president [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva|Lula da Silva]], 2005]]
In January 2005, Chávez began openly proclaiming the ideology of "[[socialism of the 21st century]]", something that was distinct from his earlier forms of [[Bolivarianism]], which had been [[Social democracy|social democratic]] in nature, merging elements of capitalism and socialism. He used this new term to contrast the [[democratic socialism]], which he wanted to promote in Latin America, from the Marxist–Leninist socialism that had been spread by socialist states like the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China during the 20th century, arguing that the latter had not been truly democratic, suffering from a lack of participatory democracy and an excessively authoritarian governmental structure.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

In May 2006, Chávez visited Europe in a private capacity, where he announced plans to supply cheap Venezuelan oil to poor working class communities in the continent. The Mayor of London [[Ken Livingstone]] welcomed him, describing him as "the best news out of Latin America in many years."<ref>[[#Obs06|''The Observer'' 2006]].</ref>

===Third presidential term: 10 January 2007 – 10 January 2013===
[[File:Hugo Chávez crop.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Chavez in Brazil, 2008]]
In the [[2006 Venezuelan presidential election|presidential election of December 2006]], which saw a 77% voter turnout, Chávez was once more elected, this time with 63% of the vote, beating his closest challenger [[Manuel Rosales]]. The [[Organization of American States]] (OAS) and the [[Carter Center]] concluded that the election results were free and legitimate.<ref>[[#Int97|International Crisis Group 2007]]. p. 1.</ref><ref>[[#BBC06|BBC News 2006]].</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Chávez wins Venezuelan election |newspaper=[[Gulf News]] |url=http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/12/04/10087134.html |date=4 December 2006 |access-date=30 December 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929133525/http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/12/04/10087134.html |archive-date=29 September 2007}}</ref> After this victory, Chávez promised an "expansion of the revolution".<ref>Ireland On-Line. [http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=203189624&p=zx3y9x33x Chávez promises more-radical turn toward socialism.] (4 December 2006). Retrieved 4 December 2006. {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

====United Socialist Party of Venezuela and domestic policy====
[[File:Demostration by the opposition against the reform - caracas.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans during the [[2007 Venezuelan protests]] demonstrating against [[2007 Venezuelan constitutional referendum|Chávez's proposed constitutional referendum]]<ref name="BBCMarch">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7120133.stm|title= Students stage anti-Chavez rally|work= BBC News |date=30 November 2007|access-date=3 December 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071203105852/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7120133.stm| archive-date= 3 December 2007 | url-status=live}}</ref>]]

On 15 December 2006, Chávez publicly announced that those leftist political parties who had continually supported him in the Patriotic Pole would unite into one single, much larger party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (''Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela'', PSUV). In the speech which he gave announcing the PSUV's creation, Chávez declared that the old parties must "forget their own structures, party colours and slogans, because they are not the most important thing for the fatherland".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6192105.stm |title=Venezuela head seeks party merger |first=Greg |last=Morsbach |date=19 December 2006 |website=[[BBC News]] |access-date=16 October 2013}}</ref>

[[File:United Socialist Party of Venezuela logo.gif|thumb|The logo for the [[United Socialist Party of Venezuela|PSUV]], Chávez's socialist political party founded in 2007 succeeding the [[Fifth Republic Movement]]]]

Chávez had initially proclaimed that those leftist parties which chose to not dissolve into the PSUV would have to leave the government. Party membership rose to 5.7&nbsp;million people by 2007,<ref name="bloomberg.com">Walter, Mathew. [https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aqg5jOxmM.Vg%20 "Venezuela May Lower Voting Age, Add Gay Rights in Constitution"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916205622/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive |date=16 September 2015 }}. ''Bloomberg''. 11 October 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2010.</ref> The United Nations' [[International Labour Organization]] expressed concern over some voters' being pressured to join the party.<ref name="eluniversal.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2009/06/16/eco_art_en-pdvsa-y-sidor-se_1433965.shtml |title=En Pdvsa y Sidor se concentra criminalización de las protestas – Economía |newspaper=El Universal |date=16 June 2009 |access-date=28 September 2010|language=es}}</ref>

On 28 December 2006, President Chávez announced that the government would not renew [[RCTV]]'s broadcast license which expired on 27 May 2007, thereby forcing the channel to cease operations on that day.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6215815.stm|title=Chavez to shut down opposition TV|date=29 December 2006|access-date=27 May 2007|publisher=BBC}}</ref> On 17 May 2007, the government rejected a plea made by RCTV to stop the TV station's forced shutdown.<ref name="universities26">{{Cite web|url=http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37828|title=Marches and Counter-Marches Over TV Station's End|date=21 May 2007|publisher=Inter Press Service News Agency|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612203557/http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37828|archive-date=12 June 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=28 May 2007}}</ref> Thousands of protesters marching both against and in support of the government's decision remained on the streets in Caracas. Other marches took place in [[Maracaibo]] and [[Valencia, Carabobo|Valencia]].<ref name="universities26"/> On 21 May 2007, hundreds of journalists and students marched in Caracas carrying a banner reading "S.O.S. Freedom of Expression".<ref name="universities26" /> A few days later, on 25 May 2007, university students from the [[Universidad Católica Andrés Bello]], the [[Simón Bolívar University (Venezuela)|Universidad Simón Bolívar]] and the [[Universidad Central de Venezuela]] protested against the government's intentions.<ref name="universities15">{{cite news|url=http://politica.eluniversal.com/2007/05/25/rctv_ava_estudiantes-de-la-uc_25A874209.shtml|title=Estudiantes de la UCAB y la USB protestan en apoyo a RCTV|date=25 May 2007|newspaper=[[El Universal (Caracas)|El Universal]]|language=es|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070527074433/http://politica.eluniversal.com/2007/05/25/rctv_ava_estudiantes-de-la-uc_25A874209.shtml|archive-date=27 May 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=28 May 2007}}</ref><ref name="universities35">{{cite news|url=http://politica.eluniversal.com/2007/05/25/rctv_ava_ucevistas-protestaro_25A874355.shtml|title=Ucevistas protestaron en la autopista Francisco Fajardo cierre de RCTV|date=25 May 2007|newspaper=[[El Universal (Caracas)|El Universal]]|language=es|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831010331/http://politica.eluniversal.com/2007/05/25/rctv_ava_ucevistas-protestaro_25A874355.shtml|archive-date=31 August 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=28 May 2007}}</ref> On 26 May, tens of thousands of protesters marched in support of RCTV to their headquarters.<ref name="REUT20076">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-television-march-idUSN2621739620070526|title=Venezuelans march against closure of TV station|last1=Ellsworth|first1=Brian|date=26 May 2007|access-date=29 March 2015|work=Reuters|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402214351/http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/05/26/us-venezuela-television-march-idUSN2621739620070526|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the week prior to the shutdown of RCTV, many individuals, international organizations and NGOs—including the [[Organization of American States|OAS]]'s [[Secretary General of the Organization of American States|Secretary General]] [[José Miguel Insulza]]<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.oas.org/OASpage/press_releases/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-001/07|publisher=Organization of American States|title=Secretary General expresses concern over decision not to renew broadcasting license of Venezuelan television station|date=5 January 2007|access-date=28 May 2007}}</ref> and its [[OAS Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression|Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cidh.oas.org/relatoria/showarticle.asp?artID=688&lID=1|title=Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression expresses concern over the situation of RCTV in Venezuela|date=31 December 2006|publisher=Organization of American States|access-date=28 May 2007}}</ref> the [[Inter American Press Association]],<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.sipiapa.com/pressreleases/srchcountrydetail.cfm?PressReleaseID=1828|title=IAPA assails Venezuela's Chávez over non-renewal of TV station license|publisher=Inter American Press Association|date=29 December 2006|access-date=28 May 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928061613/http://www.sipiapa.com/pressreleases/srchcountrydetail.cfm?PressReleaseID=1828|archive-date=28 September 2007}}</ref> [[Human Rights Watch]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/05/22/venezu15986.htm|title=Venezuela: TV Shutdown Harms Free Expression|date=22 May 2007|publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]]|access-date=28 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081114234127/http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2007/05/22/venezu15986.htm|archive-date=14 November 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Committee to Protect Journalists]],<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/americas/ven12jan07na.html|title='Lack of transparency' in Venezuelan broadcast case|publisher=Committee to Protect Journalists|date=12 January 2007|access-date=28 May 2007}}</ref>—have expressed concerns for freedom of the press following the shutdown.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/82816|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120804061313/http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/82816|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 August 2012|title=Non-renewal of RCTV license a threat to media pluralism, will cost 2,000 their jobs, says IFJ|publisher=International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX)|date=24 April 2007|access-date=27 May 2007}}</ref> However, Secretary Insulza also stated that it was up to the Venezuelan courts to solve this dispute<ref name="ElUniversal20071805">{{cite news|url=http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/05/18/en_pol_art_insulza:-rctv-case-w_18A870835.shtml|title=Insulza: RCTV case will be solved by Venezuelan courts|date=18 May 2007|newspaper=[[El Universal (Caracas)|El Universal]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901111430/http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/05/18/en_pol_art_insulza%3A-rctv-case-w_18A870835.shtml|archive-date=1 September 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=17 June 2007}}</ref> and that he believed that this was an administrative decision.<ref name="ElUniversal20070611">{{cite news|url=http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/06/11/en_pol_art_insulza-hopes-venezu_11A883121.shtml|title=Insulza hopes Venezuela "to continue to be democratic"|date=11 June 2007|newspaper=[[El Universal (Caracas)|El Universal]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130122060100/http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/06/11/en_pol_art_insulza-hopes-venezu_11A883121.shtml|archive-date=22 January 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=17 June 2007}}</ref>

In 2007, the Bolivarian government set up a constitutional commission to review the 1999 constitution and suggest potential amendments to be made to it. Led by the prominent pro-Chávez intellectual [[Luis Britto García]], it suggested measures that would have increased many of the president's powers, for instance increasing the presidential term limit to seven years, allowing the president to run for election indefinitely and centralizing powers in the executive. The government put the suggested changes to a [[2007 Venezuelan constitutional referendum|public referendum in December 2007]].<ref name="reuters20070816">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN1526395420070816|title=Venezuela's Chávez calls for end to term limits|access-date=16 August 2007|work=Reuters|date=16 August 2007|last=Ellsworth |first=Brian}}</ref> Abstention rate was high however, with 44% of registered voters not turning out, and in the end the proposed changes were rejected by 51% of votes.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/world/americas/04venezuela.html |title= Venezuela Vote Sets Roadblocks on Chávez Path |work= The New York Times|date = 4 December 2007 |access-date=26 February 2010 |last=Romero |first=Simon}}</ref> This would prove to the first electoral loss that Chávez had faced in the thirteen electoral contests held since he took power, due to the top-down nature of the changes, as well as general public dissatisfaction with "the absence of internal debate on its content, as well as dissatisfaction with the running of the social programmes, increasing street crime, and with corruption within the government".<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 December 2007 |title=Chávez: "Fue una victoria de mierda y la nuestra una derrota de coraje" |url=https://www.libertaddigital.com/mundo/chavez-fue-una-victoria-de-mierda-y-la-nuestra-una-derrota-de-coraje-1276318942/ |access-date=23 April 2023 |website=Libertad Digital}}</ref>

In mid 2010, tons of rotten food supplies imported during Chávez's government through subsidies of state-owned enterprise [[PDVAL]] were found. Due to the scandal, PDVAL started being administrated by the [[Vice President of Venezuela]] and afterwards by the Alimentation Ministry.<ref name="great">{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/epa/article/ALeqM5hGxTMTytdWbdjg85kySFN_Z4ZBZQ|title=Unos 170 millones de kilos de alimentos importados por Venezuela se han vencido, afirma la oposición|access-date=31 July 2010|publisher=[[Agencia EFE]]|date=31 July 2010|work=Google|language=es|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804174844/http://www.google.com/hostednews/epa/article/ALeqM5hGxTMTytdWbdjg85kySFN_Z4ZBZQ|archive-date=4 August 2010}}</ref> Three former managers were detained,<ref name="elnacional20100729">{{cite web|url=http://www.el-nacional.com/www/site/p_contenido.php?q=nodo/147369/Nacional/Audiencia-preliminar-por-caso-Pdval-ser%C3%A1-el-10-de-agosto|title=Audiencia preliminar por caso PDVAL será el 10 de agosto|author=Agencia Venezolana de Noticias|date=1 August 2010|website=[[El Nacional (Venezuela)|El Nacional]]|language=es|access-date=29 July 2010|author-link=Agencia Venezolana de Noticias}}{{dead link|url=http://www.el-nacional.com/www/site/p_contenido.php?q=nodo%2F147369%2FNacional%2FAudiencia-preliminar-por-caso-Pdval-ser%C3%A1-el-10-de-agosto|bot=InternetArchiveBot|date=March 2019}}</ref> but were released afterwards<ref name="elmundo20111106">{{cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/petroleo/pdvsa/los-tres-acusados-por-el-caso-pdval-seran-enjuicia.aspx|title=Los tres acusados por el caso PDVAL serán enjuiciados en libertad condicional|last=García Mora|first=Ileana|date=6 November 2011|website=[[El Mundo (Venezuela)]]|access-date=14 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522213123/http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/petroleo/pdvsa/los-tres-acusados-por-el-caso-pdval-seran-enjuicia.aspx|archive-date=22 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> and two of them had their positions restored.<ref name="ultimasnoticias20120514">{{cite web|url=http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/politica/imputados-de-pdval-volvieron-a-sus-cargos-en-pdvsa.aspx|title=Imputados de PDVAL volvieron a sus cargos en Pdvsa|date=14 May 2012|website=[[Últimas Noticias (Venezuela)|Últimas Noticias]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712120057/http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/politica/imputados-de-pdval-volvieron-a-sus-cargos-en-pdvsa.aspx|archive-date=12 July 2012|access-date=17 May 2012}}</ref> In July 2010, official estimates stated that 130,000 tons of food supplies were affected, while the political opposition informed of 170,000 tons.<ref name="great" /> As of 2012, any advances in the investigations by the [[National Assembly (Venezuela)|National Assembly]] were unknown.<ref name="globovision20120515">{{cite web|url=http://globovision.com/news.php?nid=230805|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411005550/http://globovision.com/news.php?nid=230805|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 April 2013|title=Rechazan incluir en orden del día caso de alimentos descompuestos de PDVAL|last=Ackerman|first=Sasha|date=15 May 2012|website=[[Globovisión]]|access-date=17 May 2012}}</ref> The most accepted explanation of the loss of food supplies is the organization of PDVAL, because the food network allegedly imported supplies faster than what it could distribute them. The opposition considers the affair as a corrupt case and spokespeople have assured that the public officials deliberately imported more food that could be distributed to embezzle funds through the import of subsidized supplies.<ref name="bbcresumen">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/economia/2010/06/100608_venezuela_escandalo_alimentos_lr.shtml|title=Venezuela: escándalo por alimentos vencidos|author=Valery, Yolanda|date=8 June 2010|work=[[BBC]]|language=es|access-date=29 July 2010}}</ref>

During an address on Chávez's birthday in 2011, he called on the middle classes and the [[private sector]] to get more involved in his Bolivarian Revolution, something he saw as "vital" to its success.<ref>[[#BBC11b|BBC News 2011b]].</ref> 

In August of 2011, Chávez announced that his government would nationalize Venezuela's gold industry, taking it over from Russian-controlled company Rusoro, while at the same time also moving the country's gold stocks, which were largely stored in western banks, to banks in allied countries such as Russia, China and Brazil.<ref>[[#Gua11|''The Guardian'' 2011]].</ref>

To ensure that his [[Bolivarian Revolution]] became socially ingrained in Venezuela, Chávez discussed his wish to stand for re-election when his term ran out in 2013, and spoke of ruling beyond 2030.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chávez dice que seguirá en el poder hasta 2030 |url=https://www.eleconomista.com.mx/internacionales/Chavez-dice-que-seguira-en-el-poder-hasta-2030-20111001-0037.html |access-date=26 December 2022 |website=[[El Economista (Mexico)|El Economista]] |date=October 2011 |language=es}}</ref> Under the 1999 constitution, he could not legally stand for re-election again, and so brought about a [[2009 Venezuelan constitutional referendum|referendum on 15 February 2009]] to abolish the two-term limit for all public offices, including the presidency. Approximately 70% of the Venezuelan electorate voted, and they approved this alteration to the constitution with over 54% in favor, allowing any elected official the chance to try to run indefinitely.{{sfn|Carroll|2009}}<ref>{{Cite news|last=Forero |first=Juan |date=16 February 2009 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/15/AR2009021500136.html |title= Chávez Wins Removal of Term Limits |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

[[File:Fórum Social Mundial 2008 - AL.jpg|250px|thumb|Chávez (far right) with fellow Latin American leftist presidents in 2009 (from left to right: Paraguay's [[Fernando Lugo]], Bolivia's [[Evo Morales]], Brazil's [[Lula da Silva]] and Ecuador's [[Rafael Correa]])]]

===Fourth presidential term: 10 January 2013 – 5 March 2013===
{{Further|Immediate Mobilization Networks}}

On 7 October 2012, Chávez won election as president for a fourth time, his third six-year term. He defeated [[Henrique Capriles]] with 54% of the votes versus 45% for Capriles, which was a lower victory margin than in his previous presidential wins, in the [[2012 Venezuelan presidential election]].<ref name=extend/><ref name="APFox2012">{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/07/venezuelan-president-hugo-chavez-wins-another-6-year-term-electoral-council/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008034702/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/07/venezuelan-president-hugo-chavez-wins-another-6-year-term-electoral-council/|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 October 2012|title=Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez wins another 6-year term, electoral council says|date=8 October 2012|work=[[Fox News Channel]]|access-date=30 December 2012}}</ref> Turnout in the election was 80%, with a hotly contested election between the two candidates.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/world/americas/venezuela-presidential-election.html?hp |title= Chávez Wins a Third Term in Venezuela Amid Historically High Turnout |publisher= NYT |date= 7 October 2012 |access-date=8 October 2012 |first=William |last=Neuman}}</ref> There was significant support for Chávez among the Venezuelan lower class. Chávez's opposition blamed him for unfairly using state funds to spread largesse before the election to bolster Chavez's support among his primary electoral base, the lower class.<ref name="APFox2012" />
[[File:Hugo Chávez 2012.jpg|150px|thumbnail|left|Chávez in June 2012]]

The inauguration of Chávez's new term was scheduled for 10 January 2013, but as he was undergoing medical treatment at the time in [[Cuba]], he was not able to return to Venezuela for that date. The National Assembly president [[Diosdado Cabello]] proposed to postpone the inauguration and the Supreme Court decided that, being just another term of the sitting president and not the inauguration of a new one, the formality could be bypassed. The [[Roman Catholicism in Venezuela|Venezuelan Bishops Conference]] opposed the verdict, stating that the constitution must be respected, and the Venezuelan government had not been transparent regarding details about Chávez's health.<ref>{{cite news |title=Church warns Venezuela govt on constitution |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20130107-church-warns-venezuela-govt-constitution |newspaper=France 24 |date=7 January 2013 |access-date=8 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111082713/http://www.france24.com/en/20130107-church-warns-venezuela-govt-constitution |archive-date=11 January 2013}}</ref>

Acting executive officials produced orders of government signed by Chávez, which were suspected of forgery by some opposition politicians, who claimed that Chávez was too sick to be in control of his faculties. [[Guillermo Cochez]], recently dismissed from the office of Panamanian ambassador to the [[Organization of American States]], even claimed that Chávez had been [[brain death|brain-dead]] since 31 December 2012.<ref name="univision">{{cite web | url=http://noticias.univision.com/america-latina/venezuela/hugo-chavez/noticias/article/2013-02-27/nuevos-rumores-sobre-muerte-de-hugo-chavez | title=Nuevos rumores de muerte para Hugo Chávez | publisher=Univision Communications Inc. | date=27 February 2013 | access-date=28 February 2013 | language=es | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228000713/http://noticias.univision.com/america-latina/venezuela/hugo-chavez/noticias/article/2013-02-27/nuevos-rumores-sobre-muerte-de-hugo-chavez | archive-date=28 February 2013}}</ref><ref name="PanARMENIAN">{{cite web | url=http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/147881/ | title=Former envoy claims Venezuela's Chávez is dead | publisher=PanArmenian.Net | date=28 February 2013 | access-date=28 February 2013}}</ref>

Due to the [[Death and state funeral of Hugo Chávez|death of Chávez]], Vice President [[Nicolás Maduro]] took over the presidential powers and duties for the remainder of Chávez's abbreviated term until presidential elections were held. Venezuela's constitution specifies that the speaker of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, should assume the interim presidency if a president cannot be sworn in.<ref>{{cite news|title=Even after death, Hugo Chavez gets his choice of successor|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/03/06/even-after-death-hugo-chavez-gets-his-choice-of-successor/|access-date=6 March 2013|newspaper=National Post}}</ref> Maduro remains in power as president as of 2025.